


Starting Over

by cuteunni



Category: Big Bang (Band), 소녀시대 | Girls' Generation | SNSD
Genre: Action, Drama, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 10:41:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 75,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11896050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuteunni/pseuds/cuteunni
Summary: Murder, secrets and missing memories





	1. A New Beginning

     The accident was bloody. It was mangled steel, fiberglass, and flesh. None of which she remembers. They reminded her of her name, her real one, and her stage name. They helped her remember her passion for singing and dancing and they even helped her remember they were all like a big family. What they wouldn’t let her remember was the boy in the driver's seat. The one that didn’t make it. They hid all the pictures of them together. They took out pages in her diary. They even made a pact with his band members to not mention his name around her. They gave him a code name instead. 

 

    What they didn’t know was that he wasn’t dead. She talked to him from time to time, though she thought he was just some strange new staff member or a trainee following them around, learning what life will be like after debut. She didn’t tell them about him. She was too afraid they would make him go away. His presence was calming and almost made her feel normal again.

 

     Almost a year after the accident and she was back in her old room in their dorm. Taeyeon had made sure nothing was out of place on the day she arrived. She was back just in time to start learning the songs for their next mini-album. It was a welcome way too busy themselves mentally.

 

     Sunny smiled at her friend in the studio as she sat down near the window he was leaning against. He always wore a hat or a something with a hood. When she asked him why he always said he had a bad haircut. They were supposed to be listening to the samples the songwriters had created, but Sunny had other plans. She looked up into his small eyes and pulled out her cell phone to silently text him.

 

    'Are you having fun? You look bored.'

 

    'I was waiting for you.' He replied seconds later.

 

    'Are you going to be following us around again?'

 

    'Yeah but I don’t think your leader likes it when I do.'

 

    'Don’t mind her just stick with me.'

 

    “Sunny what do you think?” Yoona asked.

 

    Sunny jumped at her voice.

 

    “What?” Sunny put a hand over her startled heart.

 

    “Are you okay?” Tiffany asked, worry clouding her eyes.

 

    “I’m fine.” She stole a glance at her friend before clearing her throat, “I’m sorry. I kinda zoned out.”

 

    “You really need to concentrate. If you don’t do well they might replace you.” Taeyeon chastised, searching her eyes, “Come move over here beside me.”

 

    “I can learn the songs if that’s what you are worried about.” Sunny’s tone was a bit harsher than she intended, “You don’t have to worry about me all the time.”

 

    Taeyeon didn’t comment. She turned back to the CD player and reset the CD. If Sunny didn’t want help, then she wouldn’t force it on her. The others gazed at her sadly for a moment then went back to listening to the music.

 

    “I don’t like track four.” Sunny commented when they were finished.

 

    “Why? I thought it was cute.” Hyoyeon said.

 

    “It sounds like they smashed ‘Etude’ and ‘Merry-Go-‘Round’ together. The fans will pick up on it too. I wouldn’t want to be accused of recycling lyrics or tunes, ya know.” Sunny looked up at her friend as he nodded along with her statement.

 

    'I still don’t know your name, small eyes.' Sunny texted.

 

    'I was called Daesoon once.' He replied.

 

    'Flower bud? Are you gay?'

 

    'No :( my stage name is D-Lite'

 

    'Hehe together we are Sunny D-Lite! Fany drank those when we were at the Hollywood Bowl.'

 

    'I don’t get it.'

 

    'It’s ok.'

 

    “Who are you texting?” Jessica asked trying to peer over Sunny’s shoulder.

 

    “My trainee friend Daesoon.” She looked up to point him out but he was no longer leaning against the window, “He was here a minute ago.”

 

    “Oh...wait did you say he?” Jessica watched Sunny nod, “That’s kinda weird for a guy.”

 

Another text lit up Sunny’s phone. She didn’t recognize the number and opened it with a curious heart.

 

    'Is it safe?'

 

She looked around then hesitantly typed in yes. Her friends weren’t dangerous — she didn’t think.

 

    'Report your status.'

 

    She didn’t reply. She closed her phone and pushed it back into her pocket. She would have to change her number, she decided. It vibrated, and with the hopes of it being her friend, she opens the text.

 

    'Report the status of your mark.'

 

    “Whatcha doing?” Sooyoung asked looking over her head at the tiny screen, “You playing a new game?”

 

    “Yeah but it’s boring.” Sunny shrugged and turned her attention to the giant, “Did you see where that tan boy went?”

 

    “What tan boy? Is he cute?” Sooyoung looked around the room quickly.

 

    “He’s been following us around all month. I’m sure you’ve seen him.”

 

    “Next time he’s here let me know. How tall is he?” Sooyoung sounded hopeful.

 

    “Not as tall as you.” Sunny replied, refusing to look at Sooyoung’s expression. She didn’t want to see another disappointed face. Her phone vibrated again. She shoved it deeper into her pocket then stood up. Everyone watched her walk to the door. There was a strange tension in the air now.

 

    “I’m going to the bathroom.” Tiffany announced getting up from her chair. She followed Sunny down the hallway then into the public bathroom. Sunny waited for her to flush before stepping out silently and continued down the hall looking for her friend. She needed to talk to someone she could trust.

 

    “Daesoon?” She called out weakly, not sure if he was even in the building still. Two men dressed in gray suits rounded the corner each taking hold of one of her arms and lifted her off the ground as they continued walking.

 

    “Let go of me!” She screamed kicking her legs in the air hoping to hit one of them. She desperately needed Tiffany to hear her.

 

    They shoved her into a vacant room then stood guard outside the door. She looked around cautiously until she spotted a man smoking on one of the long, red couches. He wasn’t Asian. His skin was a dark chocolate, and his long legs alluded to a great height. He was slim for a man that looked over forty years of age. His Italian suit hinted at great wealth as well.

 

    “Lee Soonkyu,” He called out to her, “Sit with me.”

 

    “Who are you?” Refusing to move away from the door, she grasped and rattled the handle, desperately trying to escape.

 

    “Report your progress.” His voice settled it’s way into her bones, causing her to freeze.

 

    “How did you get my number?” She slowly turned to face him, “Who are you?”

 

    “I know you and Daesung were close.” He inhaled the nicotine then exhaled the smoke, “You need to move on. This little game isn’t amusing. I’ll have another partner assigned to you in the morning.”

 

    “What are you talking about? Who is Daesung?” She pleaded finally sitting on the end of the couch furthest away from him.

 

    “Follow the rules. This will be your only warning.” He put out the cigarette and handed her an envelope, “You can always be replaced.”

 

    She looked on terrified as he left the room. She tried to control her breathing, tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks. Her friend rushed into the room and scooped her into his arms. That was when she let it all go.

 

    “Daesoon,” She finally choked out after ten minutes of weeping, “Who were those men?”

 

    “I heard you yelling in the hall but I couldn’t find you. I’m so sorry.” He said softly, “Please don’t cry.”

 

    “Who was I? What kind of person gets involved with those men?”

 

    “Why don’t you ask one of your friends? I’m sure Taeyeon would tell you.” He rubbed her back in small circles, “I can hear them in the hall. Just ask them, alright?”

 

     She let him leave the room silently as she wiped the tears off her face. Her eyes would still be red and her makeup messed up, but she didn’t care. Seohyun ran in first and embraced her. The rest filed in afterward scolding her for going off on her own. She wanted to tell them why. She wanted to spill out her guts about everything that had happened today. But she isn’t that brave. She folded the envelope and shoved it in her back pocket. Tiffany grabbed her left hand while Taeyeon slid a hand into Sunny’s right. They escorted her out of the room and all the way to the van waiting by the front door.

 

    “Are you okay Sunny?” Their manager, Kibum, asked.

 

    “I’m fine now.” She assured him.

 

    “What were you doing in that room?” Tiffany asked after sitting near the back of the van.

 

    “I needed a minute alone.” Sunny looked at Taeyeon, “Can I ask you something?”

 

    “Shoot.” Taeyeon agreed curiously.

 

    “What kind of person was I?” She whispered.

 

    “You already know the answer to that. You still are a fun loving, aegyo filled, leader-like shortie. You are my second in command.”

 

    “Tell me the truth.” Sunny warned, “I wasn’t a good person. Tell me the truth.”

 

    “You are the nicest, most understanding human being I know.” Taeyeon stated slightly confused, “Who told you that you were a bad person?”

 

    “It’s a gut feeling. I feel like I don’t deserve all of this. Like I should have died in that car wreck.”

 

    “That’s not true.” Tiffany butted in, “You lived for a reason.”

 

    “Torment isn’t a reason.” Sunny shot back with her fists clenched.

 

    “It’s been a year Sunny.” Tiffany hissed, “You need to quit dwelling on who you used to be and live life as you are now. We will love you no matter how much you have changed.” 

 

    Taeyeon shook her head sadly but didn’t push the subject any longer. She had to stay optimistic about her short counterpart becoming her old self again. The doctors said her memories would return in time. It was true she remembered most everything over this last year with the help of the other group members and Sunny’s family. The van stopped outside their apartment and all the girls rushed out. Taeyeon stuck to Sunny’s side until they slid their shoes off inside the room. Sunny power-walked to her room to escape anymore scrutiny. She thought her friends cared too much for their own good sometimes. They couldn’t understand how she felt.

 

     Yuri paced uncomfortably outside the open door. She wanted to go in, but at the same time, she wanted Sunny to give her permission to enter the room, even though she knew she could walk in anytime she wanted. Sunny fell asleep after a few hours. When Yuri noticed this, she walked in the room. It was only nine thirty—way too early for any of the other girls to consider sleeping, with the exception of Jessica.

 

♫~이별이란 말을해도 그 누가 뭐라해도 난 그댈 지킬게 You and I together 내 두 손을 놓지마 안녕이란 말은 해도 내게 이 세상은 오직 너 하나기에~♫

 

    Yuri cringed at the familiar ringtone. It rang for two minutes before she quickly hit the ignore button. Sunny was sleeping soundly, she didn’t need to be woken up by a phone call, Yuri thought. She gazed at the unfamiliar number for a second then turned off the phone and placed it back on the nightstand between their beds. Jiyong had asked about Sunny at their last performance. He had noticed Sunny wasn’t performing with them again. She had lied to him then, telling him that Sunny was still recovering with her family, when in fact, the girl was sitting in their waiting room, wanting to go home. Yuri hated avoiding the Big Bang members, especially her best friend in the idol world Jiyong. A tiny knock on the door broke her sad thoughts.

 

    “Hey, we decided to have a talk in my room real quick.” Hyoyeon said softly.

 

    “Alright, let me wake Sunny.” Yuri began to cross the room.

 

    “Don’t.” Hyoyeon shook her head, “Let her sleep.”

 

    Secret meetings to discuss Sunny’s new behavior was becoming a trend within the group. At first, they discussed how to better support their short member through her trials, but soon all they talked about was how they were going to cope. Sunny was still the old Sunny in a lot of ways but she had also become a depressed soul who had a tenancy to crawl into whatever hole she could find until she absolutely had to come out. Usually because her bladder was about to burst.

 

    Today turned into one of those days. Sunny usually drowned herself in self pity but this time was different. This time she was hiding from someone. She didn’t know who or when they would come but she remembered the statement that man had made. She was getting a new partner. For what she didn’t know — she didn’t want to find out either.

 

    Seohyun found her after three hours of doing nothing but scouring the dorm from top to bottom. The laundry room was the first place she looked, but she never imagined Sunny could stick herself in between the bookcase in Jessica’s room and the wall. It would have taken considerable strength to move it away from the wall and the space was incredibly tight.

 

    “Unnie,” The youngest said sadly as she gazed at the horrified girl before her, “Stop doing this to yourself.”

 

    “I’m not here. If someone asks for me I’m not home. Don’t answer the door. Don’t answer the phone.” Sunny demanded hectically. Her eyes told Seohyun of a fear far greater than what she could imagine. It saddened her to the point where she was the first to look away.

 

    “This isn’t healthy. You need to come out.” She held a hand out wishing Sunny would come to her senses. 

 

 The older girl closed her eyes ignoring the plea. She pushed herself further away from the hand, far out of anyone's reach. As painful as it was Sunny didn’t want to take any chances.

 

    “I’m not a good person. I might ruin you.” Sunny whispered as Seohyun sat down on the floor beside the bookcase. Her face pale from fear for her little friend. It took Seohyun a moment to compose her emotions and look at Sunny once again.

 

    “I’m just as tainted as you.” she replied just as her phone vibrated with a new message, “Taeyeon says she’s bringing some guests over. I’m going to start cleaning up. Call me if you need anything. I mean it.”

 

    “No! Tell her no.” Sunny’s eyes widened, “I won’t come out until they leave. Even if the building catches fire. I won’t move.”

 

    “Unnie I will not let anything bad happen to you. We all love you so much. Trust me, no, trust us when we say we want to help you. It sickens me to see you break down like this. Why won’t you open up and talk about your feelings with someone? One of us or a doctor?” Seohyun felt tears at the edges of her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She had to be strong for Sunny.

 

    “Seo...I-I want to talk to you all so bad. I want to, I really do, but I can’t. I can’t trust anyone right now.” Sunny closed her eyes and began weeping, “Everything is so messed up right now. I don’t even know myself.”

 

    “I’m sorry to hear that unnie.” Seohyun pushed herself up and walked away. She would have to wait for someone strong enough to move the bookcase before she could try to help Sunny again.

 

    Sunny did as she said. Everyone came home and she didn’t even peek around the corner to see who it was. Some voices were familiar to her. Byunghee was in the kitchen with Taeyeon and she could hear Nicole and Tiffany laughing at an American movie in the living room. Jessica was snoring soundly on her bed while Yuri and Yoona were flirting with someone she couldn’t recognize. Kibum was chatting with Hyoyeon close to Taeyeon’s voice.

 

    Seohyun walked over to Taeyeon. She leaned on the counter with her arms crossed over her chest, a grim look on her face. Taeyeon quickly washed her hands so she could comfort the magnae without getting dinner ingredients all over her shirt.

 

    “What’s wrong?” Taeyeon asked as she slipped her arms around the girl for a hug.

 

    “Sunny.” Seohyun said softly, “She won’t come out.”

    

    “You found her?” Taeyeon looked up surprised, “Where is she?”

    

    “Behind the bookcase.”

    

    “I could try to move it.” Byunghee offered.

    

    “It’s really heavy.”

    

    “How about me, Yoona and Junhyung give it a shot.” He chuckled.

    

    Taeyeon grimaced but quickly gave the okay. She pulled the magnae down the hall and into the room where the guys and Yoona were already inching it away from the wall. Jessica didn’t seem to even hear the noise they were making. Sunny glared at Seohyun before deciding to make a run for it. Yuri grabbed her shirt while Nicole, confused as she was, grabbed a leg. Hyoyeon jumped in and sat on the poor girl, disabling her from moving at all.

 

    “Let me go!” Sunny shouted with her eyes closed. She waved her fists around, not afraid of hitting anyone.

 

    “Why are you acting like this?” Jessica asked coldly, “Hiding behind things, acting like a baby. You are almost twenty-two, Lee Soonkyu. Start acting like it.”

 

    “Well said.” Junhyung agreed. He bent down beside Sunny then whispered, “Stop acting like you don’t remember. Daesung wouldn’t like it.”

 

    “You.” Sunny said breathlessly.

 

    “Yes, me. You are going to behave understand? After we eat I want to talk to you alone.” He stood up and brushed off his jeans.

 

    “Sunny this is Junhyung. You will be singing a duet with him as a sort of comeback for the fans.” Kibum said as he pulled her to her feet. Everything looked like fun and games on the outside but inside all the girls were extremely worried and in shock at the way Sunny was behaving.

 

    Sunny was eventually escorted to the couch in the living room. She didn’t speak to anyone. Her eyes remained on Junhyung the entire time. She sat at the table with everyone, though she gave her food to Sooyoung, and led Junhyung to her room after he finished.

 

    “You need to stop this memory loss bullshit.” He demanded after closing the door, “It isn’t getting you anywhere.”

 

    “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She whimpered.

 

    “Did you finish your mark?” He asked ignoring her last comment.

 

    “What’s a mark?” She cowered back at his intense glare. He walked over to her vanity and pulled open the bottom drawer. He yanked the drawer completely out and dumped everything into the floor. Afterward, he opened the false bottom and handed her the leather bound journal inside.

 

    “Maybe this will jog your memory.” He forced her to open it to a random page.

 

    There were pictures of people of all ages and detailed descriptions of their outcome. Sunny read the first paragraph in utter horror. Knowing that she destroyed these people with her own hands made things even worse. Tears silently ran down her cheeks as he turned the pages for her. One question stuck in her mind over everything else. She gathered her courage and tore her eyes away from the journal.

 

    “What does this Daesung person have to do with my wretched life?” Sunny whispered.

 

    “Daesung was your last partner. Don’t tell me you don’t remember Daesung.” He watched her look off in the distance, separating herself from the world. Suddenly, he began to think maybe she was telling the truth, “Daesung was in the accident with you. He was driving you home.”

 

    “Is he okay?” She looked him in the eye.

 

    “He’s dead.” He continued to watch her closely.

 

    “Tell me about him.” She crossed her legs on the bed to get more comfortable.

 

    “He is the same Kang Daesung from Big Bang. He was also your boyfriend for three years.” Her head snapped up after hearing this, suddenly filled with life again.

 

    “He was my boyfriend. Why didn’t the girls tell me this?”

 

    “I don’t know.” He shrugged, “You two were partnered up at Fractal that’s how you officially met. You two were decent at what you did. As long as the job was done the Boss didn’t care that you had feelings for each other.”

 

    “Fractal?”

 

    “The organization that gives you marks, or should I say people to kill. This is a secret you must keep from absolutely everyone. No one can know.” He grabbed the journal and flipped it to the last page. A picture was glued to the page but it lacked the lengthy paragraph, “I’m guessing you haven’t finished this one yet.”

 

    “I can’t do the things I did before the accident. I can’t kill someone.” She looked at her hands imagining the amount of blood that must be on them.

 

    “Quitting is not an option.” He set the journal down, “I could train you. Help you remember your skill. I’ll take care of this guy alone. Do you remember talking to a big black guy? Did he give you anything?”

 

    She nodded and retrieved the envelope. He ripped the seal he pulled out  a wad of cash.

 

    “This is because Daesung died. He wants you to know he cares.”

 

    “So this guy pays me? What kind of loser thinks money will heal someone's heart.” Sunny stared at the cash silently for a while, “Do I get paid for finishing marks?”

 

    “Yes.”

 

    “Where do I normally put this money?”

 

    “In an offshore bank account. Search this room for more hidden places and you’ll find everything you need.” He stood and walked to the door, “I’ll pick you up tomorrow bright and early for training.”

 

    She watched him open the door and walk back into reality. She knew she wasn’t a good person, but she didn’t ever think she was a murder. Taking his advice, she rampaged through the room, dumping  things on the floor or on Yuri’s bed. She managed to find two more journals, a small bag of an unknown substance and a check book. She kicked some clothes out of her way and laid everything out neatly on her empty bed. She knew the first journal was filled with her kills. She picked up the second journal she found and flipped to the first page. It was a list of names and addresses. She became bored and set it back down. She picked up the third journal and was about to open it when her phone started ringing.

 

    “Hello?” She answered carefully.

 

    “Sunny, it’s Dae. I wanted you to know I was thinking about you.”

 

    She smiled to herself, “I’ve been having a terrible day I’m glad you called, friend.”

 

     Sunny put the journals and the checkbook back in their hiding spots as she talked with Daesoon. Half of the other objects she had tossed around were cleaned up when the call ended. She made sure the room was decent before joining the others. Nicole was the only guest still in the dorm. Sunny looked at Tiffany and Hyoyeon hunched over a computer at the table. She started walking towards them but was stopped by a quick tug on her arm.

 

    “Junhyung is cute don’t you think Sunny?” Nicole asked excitedly, “All of those Beast boys are hot. You are so lucky to be singing with one of them.”

 

    “Yeah I guess.” Sunny shrugged.

 

    “You two were in that room for an awfully long time.” Yuri teased wiggling her brow.

 

    “We were just talking.” Sunny’s seriousness dispersed any happiness in the atmosphere.

 

    “You’re worse than Sica.” Yuri grumbled.

 

    Sunny drifted back off into the depths of her mind as she was maneuvered to join Nicole in the living room. She didn’t want to be here. She was starting to feel claustrophobic as all the girls crowded on the couch and some spilling in the floor. She glanced to her left then her right looking for the easiest way of escape. Her breathing became labored and soon she was having trouble breathing at all. Tears she didn’t know she had trailed down her face messing up her makeup. Nicole was sent home after they failed to keep her from passing out.

 

    “What’s that?” Yoona pointed to the bag laying on the vanity. Sunny was put into her bed and tucked in tight. Tiffany pushed her way to get a good look and gasped as soon as saw it.

 

    “That might explain her weird behavior.” Jessica said, “Flush that down the toilet Sooyoung.”

 

    “Why should we let it go to waste?” Sooyoung smirked at the ice princess.

 

    “When your mom comes over to do your laundry what are you going to tell her when she asks why your clothes smell like reefer?”

 

    “I was just joking.” Sooyoung quickly flushed the drug.

 

    “Maybe it was Junhyung’s.” Taeyeon said from the corner, “I don’t think she would leave something like that out on purpose especially with Kibum here.”

 

    No one said anything to Sunny the following day. She didn’t mind the silent treatment. It let her think about other things, training, recording, practice, lunch. She was dropped off to meet with Junhyung at his company from there he took her to Fractal Corp.’s practice facility. She used the key card she found under her mattress to unlock the doors. The place was very familiar to her. She automatically knew to go left if she wanted to use the shooting range. There were mats to the right used for grappling, straight ahead was a gym like room for working out. Hand to hand combat was on Junhyung’s mind this morning. He gave her some sweats to change into then got on the mats. She was hesitant to touch him at first, only dodging his attacks in a girly manner. One wrong move and he quickly had her laying flat on her back.

 

    “You have to fight back.” He told her, unwilling to help her up, “Let’s start again.”

 

 By the sixth time she landed on her back, she was nearly fuming with anger. She stood up and attacked without warning. Junhyung smirked and kept her at bay. She was remembering her training whether she knew it or not. Her hits were precise enough even Junhyung was having trouble taking them. She left her right side unguarded and Junhyung quickly took her down.

 

    “Good job.” He offered her a hand up, but she ignored it as she steadied her breathing.

 

    “What time is it?”

 

    “Eleven-thirty.” He read off his watch, “If we leave now we can work on our song for twenty minutes before you leave.”

 

 She nodded tiredly before getting up to change back into her street clothes. Junhyung turned the radio on in the car. It was much too loud for Sunny’s taste, but she didn’t say anything.

 

    “Fractal Corp. helps the government relocate people in the witness protection program. Your fans already know you have been volunteering at the company since you were in high school. Your members know it as well.” Junhyung said over the booming bass, “That’s only a front for what they really do.”

 

    “How do they manage to keep it all a secret?”

 

    “Tom Gordon is the man you talked to a couple days ago. He works for the British Embassy. He partnered up with Zachariah King to form Fractal Corp. Zachariah used to be an agent in the witness protection program. He is a very smart man and one the government trusts. He keeps all of the mark information off site under an alias so when it’s time for inspections and stuff no one can accidentally find it.”

 

    “If you don’t know just say so.” Sunny turned the volume down, “You don’t have to lie.”

 

    “I didn’t lie. Everything I said was the truth.”

 

    “You didn’t answer my question. You babbled on about history I don’t care about.”

 

    “Fine, I don’t know. Happy now?”

 

    “No.” She turned to him pouting cutely, “Can we skip the song practice?”

 

    “And do what?” He laughed.

 

    “I want to meet these Big Bang people.”


	2. An Evenings Entertainment

    “Get out.”

    “You’re not coming with me?” Sunny asked not so confident about meeting these people anymore. She sat as still as stone in her seat with her eyes locked on the dash.

    “Nope. I need to join my crew anyway. Good luck finding a ride.” Junhyung unlocked the car doors.

    “What if they aren’t here?” 

    “Then you’ll just have to wait.” He reached over and unbuckled her seat belt.

    “What do you have against me?” She slowly got out of the car. 

    He shrugged and zoomed out of sight. Taking a deep breath she buzzed the third floor, number 64. How she was so sure that was their apartment number she didn’t know. It just felt right for her to touch that dirty, little button.

    “Who is it?” A gruff, male voice was heard through the speaker.  

    “Sunny.” She squeaked.

    There was a long pause before his voice came over the speaker again, “Come on up.” 

    She took the stairs to buy herself a little time to decide why she was actually visiting these people. She barely remembers hearing their name being called at the end of one of the music programs. Taeyeon never mentions them, the same for the rest of her friends. Her feet turned her to the left when she reached the third floor. She read the numbers on the doors until she arrived at 64. She knocked twice and considered running away. Her heart was beating against her chest. She couldn’t hear anything but the blood rushing through her ears, as she willed her feet to turn away a hand reached out to catch her. She looked up into soft brown eyes and her panic left her completely as a toothy smile melted her heart.

    “I was trying to write a song good enough for our next album...I was really surprised to hear your voice.” He pulled her into the apartment easily, “You remember me don’t you Sunny?”

    “Yes and no.” She answered remembering the oddly patterned linoleum floors. She felt safe in this place. Whether it was the absence of her members or the young man still smiling at her she didn’t know.

    “T.O.P, you know Seunghyun.” His smile dimmed, “Would you like anything to drink? Jiyong bought some instant coffee.”

    “No thank you.” Her eyes followed along the walls now checking off the secrets behind certain posters or awards hanging on them.

    “Oh um Jiyong wanted to give this to you in person but I don’t think he’ll mind if I passed it to you.” Seunghyun ran into a room then reemerged with a sealed mahogany box, “No one knows what’s in it...but Daesung wanted you to have it.”

    Her eyes instantly focused on him, “Daesung? Could you tell me about him?”

    “I would love to.” He smiled warmly leading her into a bedroom, “He shares, sorry, shared this room with Seungri. We left a box of his stuff in the closet in case you wanted anything.”

    “Thank you.”

    “Daesung was a big goof ball. His laugh was more contagious than the plague and his tiny eyes brighter than any star I’ve seen. You were the love of his life. When you weren’t around he couldn’t shut up about the way your hair smelled or how pretty you were even without makeup on. It was sickening to listen to. He was always trying to impress you. He thought he wasn’t handsome enough to be dating you.”

    “If we were so in love with each other why can’t I remember him?” Sunny stared at her hands, “Why didn’t anyone try to help me remember him?”

    “I don’t know. Perhaps they thought it would have been too traumatic. I can’t blame them for wanting to spare you more pain.”

    “Do you mind if I stay here for a while?” She asked in a whisper, “I feel like I should be here more than anywhere else right now.”

    “Of course, stay as long as you like.”

    “Thank you oppa.” She gave him a small peck on the cheek. 

    “I’ll be across the hall if you need anything.” He stood up, “I’m glad you came Sunny.”

    Sunny locked the door after she was sure he wasn’t coming back. She searched the room carefully looking for anything this Daesung could have hidden. Two guns were hidden behind a false panel in the ceiling. Two leather bound journals in his underwear drawer. They must not have had the heart to clean out his old clothes yet. She dumped what she found into the box in the closet. She then unlocked the door and dragged it into the living room.

    “Seunghyun?” She called out.

    “Over here.”

    “I need some tape.”

    “Kitchen, the third drawer, furthest from the sink.” He advised.

    “Thanks...um can I get a ride home too? My ride sorta abandoned me.”

    “It’s getting an oil change. Jiyong is bringing it back.”

    “Seunghyun?”

    “Yeah?” He shouted from his room.

    “Why do you still have Daesung’s underwear?” Sunny giggled.

    “Seungri hasn’t moved on yet. He refuses to clean out the room.”

     She found the tape and sealed the box. Something gently clawed at her leg scaring her enough to jump away. A small black and white Boston Terrier cocked it’s head to the side, a hint of amusement on its features.

    “We meet again.” Sunny narrowed her eyes. A great rivalry flashing in her mind. This pup was trouble.

    “I would have been shocked if you forgot Boss.” Seunghyun laughed, “You’re taking the whole box?”

    “It might help me. I want to know more about this boyfriend. I want to know why my heart doesn’t cry out for him.” Sunny smiled as her phone vibrated in her pocket, “Excuse me.”

Seunghyun picked up Boss and took him back to his bedroom. A boyish simper stretched across his long face. 

    “Sunny-ah where are you?” Yuri’s voice made her frown a bit. It wasn’t who she was expecting it to be.

    “Visiting a friend.” Sunny answered slightly monotone.

    “Tell me where you are so oppa can pick you up. You were supposed to meet back up with us so we could sing our new songs for your uncle to critique.”

    Sunny sighed, “I’m with Seunghyun in his apartment.”

    “Oh, Sunny I’m-”

    “I don’t want to hear about it.” She hung up, “Someone is able to pick me up so don’t bother Jiyong alright?”

    “That sucks so bad.” He whined loudly, “I really wanted to see all nine of you beautiful ladies.”

    “Maybe next time I’ll bring a few of them with me.” She made her way to the couch, “Do you mind if I take a nap until my manager comes?”

    “Like I’ve said before what is mine is yours. Do whatever you want.”

     Violent, restless dreams were all she had had since learning about her past self. In this place, she was able to actually rest peacefully. No dreams, only dead sleep. Even if ten minutes wasn’t long enough to be considered anything other than closing your eyes. Sunny groaned as she glared at the owner of the hand gently rocking her shoulder. Even his heavenly smile couldn’t change her sour mood.

    “Wakie wakie,” Daesoon whispered, “Your manager is almost up.”

    “How did you get here?” She asked as she slowly sat up.

    “I hitched a ride with him.”

    “How did you get in?”

    “Oh, that tall hyung let me in.”

    “Can you take my box to the car?”

    “Sure can, I was just about to ask if you needed any help.” Seunghyun beamed as he walked around her to grab something off the coffee table.

    “I wasn’t talking to you.” Sunny muttered.

     Seunghyun looked at her funny before shrugging off the temperamental comment. He picked up the box right as the doorbell rang. Sunny took hold of Daesoon’s hand. She let him guide her to the door and eventually into the silver town car in the parking lot. Sunny stared dully out the window as Kibum lectured to her about running off on her own. It wasn’t like she was wondering the streets, she sighed. 

    Everyone was waiting outside a large conference room when Sunny drug her feet out of the elevator. Two of them let out relieved sighs, three of them remained just as nervous while the rest kept a calm mask.

    “We’re starting with track three the title song then working our way down.” Taeyeon said while handing her the lyrics, “I printed these for everyone just in case.”

    “Don’t forget to smile.” Seohyun reminded them, “Everyone ready?”

    Their songs were critiqued harshly. Perfection was always demanded of them. They sang through it a second time tweaking things as they went along. The third time showed more promise, a smile and a nod and they were allowed to leave.

    “Sunny I want to speak with you.” Sooman beckoned his niece, “Are you feeling alright?”

    “Yes, sir.” She bowed politely.

    “I don’t want you pushing yourself too hard but I do want to commend you on improving.”

    “Thank you, sir.”

    “I also want to offer you more solo activities. Think about it before giving me an answer.”

    “Am I leaving the group?”

    “Heavens no, we will talk about this later. There have been a few love calls for a musical or two.” He opened the conference room door for her, “Take care.”

    “Thank you, Uncle.”

    Sooyoung was the only member waiting for her in the hallway. She gave Sunny a crooked smile while placing a mocking hand on the top of her head quickly messing up her hair.

    “Sunny-ah what did The boss want?” The tallest asked nosily.

    “He wants me to go solo.” Sunny shot her an arrogant look, “I doubt I’ll accept but it’s nice to know the option is there if this group ever goes down the drain.”

    “No way! Good for you shortie.” Sooyoung smiled, “Using your uncle to get you to higher places, ah, I’ve taught you well.”

    “What are you talking about?” Sunny shoved her away playfully, “You didn’t teach me anything.”

    “Girls’ Generation will last as long as we live so you should kiss that solo offer goodbye.”

    “I don’t want it anyway.”

    “After the main vocal position then? Good luck taking that from Jessica or Seohyun.”

    “Or Taeyeon.” Sunny added.

    “Taengoo is our leader she has to be the main vocalist it’s like the law.” Sooyoung scratched her chin, “Unless they passed it to you...then the fans would get pissed...I don’t know.”

    “Where are we going?”

    “I have a kids show to host and you my short, little buddy will be going home.”

Sunny started to nod when her phone vibrated.

    'Meet me at Fractal.' Sunny wanted to reply no to Junhyung but going there was better than going home alone.

    'You’d better not strand me again.'

    He didn’t reply so she put her phone back in her pocket and prepared her best aegyo for her favorite driver. He gave in after two minutes and dropped her off after Sooyoung. She thanked him before entering the building. Junhyung was leaning against the wall nearest the shooting range. She was hesitant to come any closer.

    “Catch.”

    He tossed her a pistol. She caught it with her left hand and by instinct used her thumb to pull back the hammer and aimed it for his heart. This action shocked her. As far as she could remember she has never held a gun before.

    “Close your mouth or you will swallow a bug.” The almost bored look on his face snapped her back to reality and pissed her off just a bit, “Come on let’s see if you can still hit a target. Tomorrow we go hunting.”

    “For animals? In Seoul?”

    “For a mark in Sangju. Now tell me what kind of gun that is.” He led her to a booth in the back of the range. The paper target was hanging quite a distance away.

    “Beats me.” She grumbled looking for a label of some sort.

    “It’s an AT92 handgun. You already know how to use it go ahead and shoot at your target.”

    “You?” She cocked her head to the side to look innocent.

    “No smart ass the target down there.” He shot her a glare.

    Sunny closed her eyes, pointed the gun and shot until she was out of bullets. None of them hit the target. Junhyung slapped the back of her head then reloaded her gun. She frowned as she took it back. It was heavier than she imagined a gun would be but it was familiar and frighteningly reassuring. It was as if she missed the cool metal in her hands. She stared at her left hand for a moment something didn’t fit in the puzzle in her mind.

    “Aren’t I right handed. Shouldn’t I shoot with my other hand?” She tested the gun in her other hand, felt it was wrong and switched it back.

    “You are ambidextrous. Outside of Fractal you are right handed, inside you are left handed. It’s always been that way. You are less likely to be caught if the police are looking for a left-handed midget and you are a righted handed one.”

    “I’m so smart.” She praised, “Okay I’ll try this shooting thing one more time.”

    Five more tries and she finally hit the target. It wasn’t a killing blow but at least she hit it. Satisfied with any result other than utter failure he drove her home. He promised they would practice their song after taking down their mark on the following day.

    Daesung’s cardboard  box of stuff was sitting in the middle of the living room when she entered the apartment. Looking around she found no one and pushed the box into her room. With the reassuring click of the lock she cut the tape, pulled out his pistols and hid them with her own. Next, she dumped the cardboard box out into the floor. The mahogany box clattered against the hard wood loudly. She carefully picked it off the floor and examined it. Its smooth lid was unscathed and just as shiny as it was when she had received it. There was a tiny gold colored lock keeping the lid shut. She went into the kitchen and came back with a hammer. Two strong swings and the lock was laying broken on the floor. She slowly opened the lid, excitement overwhelming her curiosity. Daesung wanted her to have this.

    “That’s all?” She picked up a thickly folded piece of paper flipping it over and over in her fingers. Placing the note to the side she pulled at the velvet lining the bottom of the box. She was rewarded with a key and a smiley face sticker.

    “What are you trying to tell me Kang Daesung?” Sunny shut the box making a loud crack. She unfolded the note carefully, smoothing out the creases as she went, “9:30 Kwangju Station. What the hell kind of lame ass note only has a time and a place?”

    Angrily she put the note and the key in the mahogany box then slid it under the bed. She started sorting through his clothes on the floor to calm herself. Mostly tee-shirts and hoodies she vaguely remembers seeing at the mall. She tossed the journals onto her bed absentmindedly as she bent down to  pick up one of his Nii heart tee-shirts. There was a red stain near the center of it along with a few faded brown ones splattered all around. She brought it to her nose and inhaled fabric softener and something else that smothered her with emotion. Grass, copper, ginger ale and tall yellow flowers. These are the images that passed through her mind. She sighed loudly, why must this boy be so vague.

    “Sunny?” A light tap on the door broke her from her thoughts.

     She slowly stood up and unlocked the door then sat back down on the floor. Yuri and Taeyeon came into the room after experimentally jiggling the door handle. They looked at the clothes on the floor then at Sunny with the shirt covering half her face.

    “Sunny we’re sorry we didn’t tell you.” Yuri said softly, her voice full of remorse.

    “Do you remember him?” Taeyeon asked as she bent over to be on Sunny’s level, “Can you forgive us for wanting to spare you more sadness?”

    “No.” Sunny muttered, “I want to remember him though. Seunghyun was nice enough to give me this stuff.”

    “If you have any questions about anything we’ll try to answer them.” Yuri said trying to make herself feel better about lying to her friend.

    Sunny laughed, “You don’t know anything about me. I have learned so much more these past few days than I did in the year you eight helped me.”

    “I’m happy for you.” Taeyeon smiled uneasily.

    “I was right you know. I’m not a good person.”

    “No one is perfect Soonkyu. You weren’t hung up on this little mistake before the accident. You should forgive yourself and move on again.” Taeyeon put a hand on Sunny’s shoulder, but it was quickly shrugged off. “If you need to talk about it I will always listen, any of the girls will listen. You are not a bad person.”

    “I’m a murder!” Sunny screamed.

    “You can’t blame yourself for Daesung’s death.” Yuri hurriedly injected, “He was driving not you.”

    “Do you really blame yourself?” Taeyeon asked.

    “I don’t want to talk about it. Get out of my room.” Sunny stood up and started cleaning up her mess.

    “This is my room too.” Yuri crossed her arms, “You can’t kick me out.”

    “Come on Yuri,” Taeyeon tugged on the taller girl, “Let’s give her a minute to chill.”

 With a sigh, Sunny looked at her cell phone. Two new messages. She smiled sadly as she opened the first one.  
   
    'Sunny Bunny did you have fun today? I miss seeing you.'

    “Daesoon is so sweet.”

Then the second.

    'New plans I’m picking you up at seven. Bring your gun, dress dull.'

    “Junhyung you bastard.” Sunny tossed her phone to the side then glanced at the alarm clock on her desk, it was already 6:55. She quickly got dressed making sure to hide her small gun in the waistband of her pants. She slipped on a hoodie that covered her waist enough to hide the bulge then opened the bedroom door. Everyone watched her walk across the apartment to the front door.

    “Where are you going?” Seohyun asked getting up from her spot.

    “I’ll be back soon.” Sunny continued through the door. Junhyung was in the elevator when she stepped in, “How long have you been riding the elevator? Do we really have to do this now?”

    “Yes. He’s flying out of the country tomorrow morning. If we don’t do this tonight we’ll fail our mark and be punished. Trust me you do not want to be punished.” He said gravely.

    It was much like those stakeouts she had seen in the movies. They sat in his car outside the targets home for a few hours watching everyone that entered the house. As soon as all the lights were out Junhyung pulled out a silenced pistol and got out of the car. Sunny had to be quick to keep up with him. She didn’t say anything when he shot out the lock on the back door. There was no alarm system. For a rich guy, he must not have been concerned about burglars.  
   
    “Why do we have to kill him?” Sunny whispered.

    “Shh.”

    “Sorry.”

    “Shhh.”

    Together they made their way to the second floor without being noticed. All of the lights were off, snoring could barely be heard echoing in the halls, and a sense of dread was slowly engulfing Sunny. She nearly ran into Junhyung’s back when he stopped in front of a closed door. She obeyed when he motioned for her to pull out her weapon. Like shadows they entered the bedroom. Sunny was expecting to find a man well past his prime sleeping like a rock on that bed centered in the room. Her breathing stopped completely when a lanky preteen came into her field of vision. He looked like a doll on the large bed.

    “Do it.” Junhyung mouthed as he pointed at the target.

    “No.” She shook her head violently.

    “Shoot him now.” He whispered, “Or I will shoot you.”

    “Do it I’m rea-” A bullet grazed her temple causing her to stumble a little in shock. Her muscles tensed and a muffled bang brought about a new wave of terror. Junhyung wiped the blood off his cheek and looked down at her with what she thought was a proud smirk. Angry with herself, she let her weapon drop onto the carpeted floor and quickly left the property. 

Killing someone shouldn’t be so easy. Killing a child shouldn’t be so easy. So why didn’t she feel remorse?

    “Yah Sunny stop!” Junhyung shouted from his car as he rolled next to her. She noticed her gun in his passenger seat, “Get in I’ll take you home.”

    “No! I can’t do this. I quit.” She hissed trying to hold back her sudden tears.

    “You can’t quit.”

    “I’m doing it right now! I refuse to kill anyone anymore!”

    “Sunny you can’t quit. Listen, just get in the car and we can talk about this.”

    “I don’t want to talk to you. You just made me kill a child!” She screamed looking at her shaking hands.

    “We don’t get to choose our marks. You’re lucky this was such an easy one.”

    “What kind of monster would want a child assassinated?” She stopped and looked at him through the window.

    “How should I know?” He put the car in park and used this chance to shove her in the passenger's side, “You need to relax.”

     She refused to look at him while he rummaged in the dashboard. A streetlight glinted off something silver in his hand. A quick flick and a sweet smelling smoke filled the car. He placed the homemade cigarette in front of her face.

    “Go ahead, take a drag.” He waved it around until she snatched it from him, “That a girl.”

    “What is this?” She asked examining it closely.

    “Just smoke it. It’ll help you relax, it’s my special recipe.”

     Taeyeon was called down to the lobby of their apartment building, only to see Junhyung carrying Sunny over his shoulder as he entered the elevator with her. She could smell the smoke on their clothes but decided not to say anything about it. She would wait for them to come off the high before lecturing. She sent him a deadly glare after Sunny was safely inside the apartment being tended to by Hyoyeon and Yuri.  
   
    “Don’t you dare bring her home like this ever again.” She threatened, “I will not hesitate to call the police or your company and tell them about the drugs.”

    “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He smiled innocently, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

    “The blood I can’t get it off!” Sunny shouted as she tried to wipe her hands over and over on her pants, “Get it off! Get it off!”

    “What did you do to her?” Taeyeon said still glaring at Junhyung. As soon as he was out of sight she turned to Sunny, “What were you thinking Soonkyu?”

    “There isn’t any blood, open your eyes Sunny there isn’t anything on your hands.” Hyoyeon took hold of Sunny’s hands hoping it would gain her attention.

    “What’s going on?” Yuri stood back nervously watching.

    “Sunny what did you and Junhyung do? Where did you go?” Taeyeon knelt down next to Sunny, asking in what she hoped was a neutral tone. She did her best to keep her anger in check, Junhyung was officially on her shit list. It was rare to see their leader so angry.

    “It’s everywhere. It won’t come off.” Sunny began to cry, “Taeyeon-ah he tricked me. I can’t get it off.”

    “It will come off if you answer my questions. Where did you go Sunny?”

    “We took a ride in his car and w-we snuck in a fancy house and he tricked me okay. He tricked me! I didn’t want to do it but I-I can’t do it anymore.” Sunny continued weeping while wiping her hands on her jeans, “I’m a murderer.”

    Taeyeon rubbed a hand roughly over her face, “We’ll try to talk to her in the morning.”

     Yuri helped Sunny to bed and curled up beside her. Holding the weeping girl wishing she would fall asleep. She wasn’t sure what was going on and hated to see any of her girls in distress.

    “Shh, everything will be alright.” Yuri whispered.

    Seohyun was the first to rise that morning, closely followed by Hyoyeon and Tiffany. The magnae was sitting with a cup of yogurt at the kitchen table, her cell phone in her hand as she texted. Tiffany went straight to the bathroom to clean up while Hyoyeon fried an egg then joined Seohyun.

    “Is she up?” Taeyeon asked as she waddled away from her bedroom.

    “Nope.” Hyoyeon replied, “Want me to wake her?”

    “Let me shower first.”

    As the rest of the girls starting getting ready for the day Sunny sat on her bed with her phone to her ear. She had called Daesoon the moment she had awoken and spilled her heart out to him. No matter what she told him he always seemed to comfort her. Never did he speak negatively against her or her dirty secrets.

    “I’m going to be at the radio station today. I promise I’ll give you a big hug.”

    “Don’t you ever have classes? All you ever do is follow us around.” Sunny teased.

    “Night classes remember? Besides I can afford to skip every now and then.”

    “Bye Dae.”

    “See ya soon.”

    “Are you still high?” Sunny looked up to the door frame where Taeyeon was standing and casually shook her head, “Where did you go yesterday?”

    “I drove around with Junhyung.”

    “You expect me to believe that you drove around town for four and a half hours?”

    “Am I an untrustworthy friend? What would I gain from lying to you?”

    “Is he making you take drugs?”

    “No, I was really stressed out yesterday and he offered me a smoke, said it would relax me. I didn’t know what was in it.”

    “Don’t lie to me.” Taeyeon deadpanned.

    “I’m not.” Sunny said through grit teeth. Taeyeon really knew which buttons to press.

    “We found some on the vanity and you might not remember but our company has s pretty strict drug policy.”

    “It was my first time Taeyeon I swear.”

    “It better be your last time too. You were having a pretty bad trip, talking about blood the whole time. If you need to talk please come to one of us.” Taeyeon turned to leave but stopped to look back one last time, “Be ready to leave in twenty minutes.”


	3. The Blood On My Hands

  Sunny was tired mentally and physically. She was getting her song lyrics scrambled and it was causing stress among the group. She thought she was used to this feeling of no sleep and little food, but time and time again she was proven wrong. Today her brain decided to shut off in protest. As a result, she was forced to watch everyone record their parts while she sat sleepily on the long, red couch behind the sound board. She stretched her legs and arms as far as they would reach before curling back into a ball and closing her eyes. Sleep took her mind gently from reality and placed it in a happier memory.

 

_The sunshine blinded her as she slowly began opening her eyes. She smiled nonetheless and slid a hand down to rest on the arms around her belly. She could feel his cheek on the small of her back and decided to lay just a little longer._

 

_“Good morning.” He slurred._

 

_“How did you know I was awake?”_

 

_“It’s a gift.”_

 

Sunny opened her eyes. Her mind yearned to return to its dreams, to be anywhere but where she is now, to find out more about that boy in general.

 

“Sunny get up.” Yoona rocked her shoulder roughly, “It’s your turn to record again.”

 

“I’m awake, I’m awake.”

 

“I asked you to get up twice already.” Yoona helped Sunny to her feet, “Please remember the words this time. Kibum is going to take us out to eat when we’re done.”

 

“Don’t rush me. I know you have snacks in your purse.” Sunny walked down into the recording room. She scoffed at the sheets of lyrics sitting on the podium below the microphone, “I know the words you didn’t have to leave these down here.”

 

“What are you talking about?” Jessica replied ready to release her pent up irritation, “I didn’t leave anything down there.”

 

“Whatever let’s finish this.” Sunny would never admit that she was just a little grateful for the sheets, whether it was from Jessica or one of the other girl's forgetfulness. Daesoon arrived after she finished her first verse. His presence helped her, he was her lighthouse in the shifting waves. She gave it her all and sang just for him. Yoona looked taken back when the shortest came back to the sound booth to get her purse. Tiffany smiled at her, barely holding back her excitement.

 

“What? Is something on my face?” Sunny finally asked.

 

“No, it’s just you sounded so good.” Yoona praised, “You’ve really improved a lot.”

 

She rolled her eyes, “We’ve all improved bonehead.”

 

“You should take that solo offer.” Sooyoung reached out to mess up her hair but Sunny moved out of her reach.

 

“You got a solo offer?” Jessica stole a quick glance at Taeyeon, “When?”

 

“Look I’m not quitting the group and I’m not interested in more solo projects. I’m busy enough.” Sunny said as they starting walking out to the van waiting on them, “I learned from watching Taeyeon do her extra projects. It sounds wonderful but it’s just more work than I’m ready for.”

 

“How is the song with Junhyung coming?” Tiffany changed the subject,  jealousy already visible in her eyes.

 

“We’ll record next month, perform a few times then never look at each other ever again.”

 

“Don’t you like him?” Yuri asked while they all climbed into the van.

 

“He’s a heartless jerk.” She sighed, “He is worse than me.”

 

Taeyeon rolled her eyes as most of the girls looked at her in confusion, “Sunny we talked about this. You haven’t done anything wrong. Please stop saying that.”

 

“She’s right, you aren’t bad anymore. You didn’t kill that boy on purpose. Junhyung tricked you.” Daesoon smiled as he reached over her seat to hug her from behind, “Look on the bright side, you quit!"

 

“You’re right.” She smiled brightly, “Thank you for reminding me.”

 

Taeyeon looked around slightly amused. This was more like the Sunny she knew. Yuri let a wide toothy grin spread across her face then smothered Sunny with a hug. Normal didn’t seem that far off the horizon anymore.

 

They went to their usual restaurant and sat down in groups of three. Sunny could feel eyes watching her the entire time she ate. It wasn’t the normal kind of blatant viewing fans did, this felt secretive. As much as she glanced around the small restaurant the other patrons were all minding their own business, whoever it was really knew what they were doing. 

 

A small group of the girls went to the restroom together to freshen up before heading back to the recording studio. Sunny was the last to exit and came face to face with a skinny, old man holding a newspaper. It was in that instant she knew he had been the one watching her. 

 

What surprised her, was the calm that his familiar presence gave. He was just barely six foot tall with a long wrinkled face. His clothes were very ordinary letting him blend into the background easily. Just another old man ignoring technology and reading the paper, nothing special to see here vibe.

 

“Report Soonkyu.” He demanded, then softly added, “I’m sorry about your loss. I’m glad to see you back.”

 

“The mark has been terminated.” She answered without thought.

 

“The rest of the money will be wired to your account right away. Have a good day.” He smiled down at her warmly as he walked off.

 

“You too Cho.” Sunny was grabbed by the hand and forced back into the van by Seohyun.

 

“We don’t have all day. We still have several songs to record.” The magnae scolded, “Pull yourself together unnie. I don’t want to be here all night.”

 

“But I thought we finished.” Sunny protested.

 

“We finished one song. We are supposed to record five this week and six next week.” Yoona informed from the front seat of the van.

 

“That’s insane! It’s already seven pm and we’ve barely finished one.”

 

“Wrong.” Jessica corrected, “We finished all the individual parts for one song, now we have to sing together.”

 

“Don’t sweat it, just have fun like you used to.” Tiffany chimed in, “This is what we love to do.”

 

“She’s right.” Daesoon whispered, “Relax and everything will come together on its own.”

 

“You’re right.” Sunny nodded.

 

She didn’t take her eyes off Daesoon as she sang her heart out with the other girls. All thoughts of her being a killer and the mystery sounding her dead boyfriend took a back seat in her mind, only the music surrounded her. Daesoon smiled down at her from behind the sound board. After recording with her group she was taken to another studio where she met with Junhyung and a choreographer. They learned the simple dance and practiced until early morning hours.

 

“Feeling any better princess?” Junhyung teased, “You know the Boss is keeping a close eye on you.”

 

“I’m never going to feel better. Thanks for asking jerk off.” Sunny replied sarcastically.

 

“If you don’t do well he doesn’t have a problem terminating you.”

 

“Let me save him the trouble and quit myself.”

 

“No one quits this job and I’m not going to be the one to shoot you.”

 

“You watch too much television.” She scoffed.

 

“We’re going to Fractal to practice every day until you surpass your past ability.”

 

“What if I say no?”

 

“You don’t have a choice, princess.”

 

“Stop calling me that.”

 

“Then stop acting like one.”

 

The door opened and Sooyoung’s head popped in the room, “Time to go shortie.”

 

Sunny grabbed her purse and almost ran out of the room. Sooyoung didn’t question her about her sour mood, nor did she try to cheer her up. She knew Sunny valued her space more than ever nowadays. Sunny let her friend into the car first. She buckled her seat belt then rested her head on the cool window, her eyes closed and her dreams took over.

 

_“We can do this Sunny. We don’t have a choice anymore, not with-” Daesung held her hands delicately not at all bothered that he was just cut off._

 

_“Don’t say it.” Sunny looked pleadingly into his eyes, “It isn’t secure here.”_

 

_“I love you. Both-”_

 

_“Stop it.”_

 

A knock on the window startled her but then she heard Sooyoung’s giggles and opened the car door. Sunny looked up at her weighing her options until she followed her to the elevator. Halfway up she pushed the emergency stop button. It was a gut feeling that made her do it, like she knew Sooyoung knew something more about her. Only the bewildered expression said otherwise.

 

“What did you know about me? You know before the wreck.” Sunny begged quietly.

 

“Not much to be honest. I mean, nothing more than what you were already told.” Sooyoung leaned against the wall.

 

“What about Daesung and I? How close were we?”

 

“You loved him but….”

 

“But?”

 

“You wouldn’t have won the most faithful girlfriend award.” Sooyoung felt awkward, “Daesung knew about it, I could tell.”

 

“I cheated on him? With who?”

 

“I never asked who they were. It didn’t matter when I never saw any of them more than once.” Sooyoung reached out to restart the elevator.

 

“Wait, one more question.” Sunny quickly stopped Sooyoung’s arm, “What did Kwangju Station mean to us?”

 

“Nothing.” Sooyoung forced her hand the rest of the way and the elevator gears started grinding once more.

 

“Sooyoung.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Can I trust you?”

 

“If you want to talk, come to my room after dinner. I’m useless when my tummy is grumbling.”

 

“I’m going to take a nap. Wake me up when you finish.” 

 

The elevator dinged followed by the doors opening. Sunny went straight to her room and flopped on her bed. She was hoping for more dreams. Her memories seemed to open up to her in this unconscious state. Bits and pieces mingle with her dreams, unfortunately nothing about her Daesung.

 

“Sunny-ah.” Sooyoung cooed knowing most people detested her aegyo. 

 

“Oh gosh, please don’t.” Sunny begged already sitting up.

 

“Let’s start this pow-wow.” She retrieved Sunny’s laptop and opened up a text document then typed, ‘No talking allowed. We type then delete and pretend this didn’t happen.’

 

Sunny nodded as she took over the keyboard, ‘You know? Since when?’

 

‘I don’t think you understand. I don’t know anything, I **will never** know anything because you cannot and will not tell me anything. I know you made a vow way back in the day with whoever you belong to and you will never break it. I value my life too much to be caught and killed.’

 

‘Yes Sargent poopie head :p’ Sunny rolled her eyes when Sooyoung shook her fist at her playfully, ‘Can I show you something Daesung left me?’

 

‘I suppose…’

 

Sunny dug under the bed for Daesung’s box then placed it beside her friend. She opened it up and handed her the note. Sooyoung smiled sadly then carefully placed it back in the box.

 

“I’m sorry Sunny. I don’t know.” Sooyoung spoke, “Whatever it is, it’s between the two of you. Keep trying to remember.”

 

“No fair.” Sunny sulked, “Aish I guess I can mark this poopie head off my list.”

 

“You aren’t going to find the answers you want from us. Junhyung has...taken Daesung’s place, am I right?”

 

“I don’t want anything to do with that monster. You can’t understand because you don’t know what he made me do.”

 

“Isn’t using someone to get what you want easier when you don’t like them?”

 

“I guess...I need to find a way out, Sooyoung. It’s not who I am anymore.”

 

“I can’t help you with that. Dig deeper shortie, it’ll pay off, trust me.” Sooyoung deleted the file then left the room. Daesoon’s smiling eyes entered the room next. Sunny could only stare at him suspiciously as he entered the room then shut the door softly behind him.

 

“Who let you in? Not that I’m complaining but, seriously who let you in?” Sunny hugged his neck tight after he sat down beside her on the bed.

 

“I need you to close your eyes, just for a moment.” He whispered, “Listen to my heartbeat. Relax your mind.”

 

“I’m fine Daesoon.”

 

“Meditation is good for the soul. It’ll help you remember.” He pulled her into a tight hug, making sure her ear rested over his heart.

 

 Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. The steady, healthy beat and his fresh laundry smell made her smile gently. She focused all her attention on the beating until she could have sworn her own heart was beating exactly the same.

 

Thump

 

“ _Forever...always and forever.” Daesung whispered into Sunny’s ear, “I’ll stay right beside your heart.”_

 

Thump Thump

 

_Arms stretching up to find purchase around his strong back. Waves of pleasure washing over all her senses. Eyes looking into chocolate brown ones full of love and worry. It was her plan, it had been from the very beginning. She wasn’t sure if they would live to tell the tale after its completion._

 

Thump

 

_Sunny cleaned her gun carefully. Even though she hasn’t had to use it in a while the process helped to calm her nerves. It was going to be a tough week getting ready for concerts and taking care for her assigned marks. Not to mention Daesung’s hectic schedule. They wouldn’t have any free time for a while._

 

Thump Thump

 

_“I love you.” He moaned, “So please stop hitting me. I’m already bruised enough.”_

 

_“You shouldn’t have brought it up at the dinner table! You ruined everything.” Sunny grit her teeth, “You’re lucky Daesung wasn’t there, Choi Seunghyun. He would have killed you.”_

 

Thump

 

Sunny pushed her head away, tears in the corners of her eyes. None of what raced through her brain made any sense. It was fuzzy memories, no matter how hard she tried faces and voices were distorted but she knew exactly who they were.

 

“Um...Sunny unnie?” 

 

Sunny opened her eyes. Daesoon was now standing by the door where Seohyun was looking at her worriedly.

 

“What?” Sunny closed her eyes again, she could feel a headache approaching.

 

“Yuri just got off the phone with Kibum oppa. Both of you have been cast for a new farming show.” Seohyun announced softly.

 

“Why me? How do they even know if I’m feeling well enough to act? What if I don’t remember how to act? Idiots.”

 

“Your doctor had to of given the okay for Kibum oppa to start giving you schedules again.” Seohyun wanted to comfort Sunny. She wanted to hug all the pain, worry, and sorrow out of her but she was scared of what Sunny’s reaction would be. She slowly inched her way out of the room then ran to Tiffany.

 

“How did she take it?” Yuri asked while she sat down beside Tiffany on the bed.

 

“Angry.” Seohyun frowned.

 

“Maybe we can talk Oppa into giving the role to someone more willing, like Yoona or Sooyoung.” Tiffany sighed.

 

“Nope, I think she needs this.” Yuri opposed, “Being cooped up in the apartment isn’t healthy. As soon as she gets back on stage or out in front of the camera in general, she will shape up in no time.”

 

“You think?” Tiffany cocked a brow up dubiously.

 

“What other choice do we have? She won’t talk to any of us.”

 

“I saw Sooyoung go to her room after her third plate. I think she’s finally opening up.” Seohyun injected.

 

“Let’s ask Sooyoung.” Tiffany was ready to hop off the bed but Yuri held her back.

 

“No, we don’t want Sunny to stop trusting her. Let’s just give her a little more time.” Yuri advised, “She was close to Sooyoung before, remember?”

 

Sunny walked passed the door and they all became very still, afraid she had heard their conversation. She ignored them and continued to the kitchen where she scoured the cabinet for something to make her headache go away. Daesoon followed close behind her.

 

“My Uncle was a marksman, he taught me how to hunt when I was younger. I still remember most of it, why don’t you let me help you improve.” He whispered, “If your Boss really is watching you, I think you should know how to defend yourself. You know just in case something goes wrong.”

 

“Where?” She grumbled, “I can’t let my fans see me at a shooting range.”

 

“Where did Junhyung take you? Sneak me in there.”

 

“No way, it would be too hard.”

 

“It’ll be easy. I’ll wear a hat, keep my head down and even dress just like him.” Daesoon begged, “I won’t get caught I promise.”

 

“When do you want to go?” She looked at him shyly, unsure if involving him was the best idea. He already knew all her secrets, but for some reason she found it unnerving to think about taking him to Fractal.

 

“Tonight when everyone goes to bed.”

 

“Okay. I’ll meet you in the lobby.” Sunny shut the cabinet door and turned to exit the kitchen. Her eyes locked with Yoona’s in the next room. Daesoon coughed then excused himself from the apartment.

 

“What’s going on?” Yoona asked after a moment of silence. 

 

Sunny smiled sweetly then quickly brought forth punch worthy aegyo, “Sunny can’t find the headache medicine. Can Yoona help?”

 

“AIGOO!” Taeyeon’s voice was heard somewhere down the hall. Yoona almost fell out in the floor with laughter allowing Sunny to take her leave. She pretended to be sleeping until she was sure everyone was asleep. She concealed her gun in the back of her pants then found Daesoon in the lobby slouched in a chair.

 

“I could help you on your show too.” Daesoon offered as they waited for a taxi.

 

“Nah, I’ll be fine. If I don’t do well they will replace me, that’s what I’m aiming for.”

 

The ride to Fractal was silent. Sunny became increasingly more nervous as they neared the building’s entrance. She walked him to the front door and swiped her card. He kept his head lowered as he followed her to the furthest end of the shooting range where he showed her how to properly handle her gun. He taught her how to aim, fire and feel comfortable as she did it. The complete opposite of her first time in the range.

 

“Remember to count your bullets and always carry an extra clip.” He gave her a pat on the back, “You did really good.”

 

“To be honest I think I remembered some of it. I hope I never have to use this ever again.” She whispered.

 

“Soonkyu-yah!”

 

 She quickly shoved Daesoon into one of the cubicles, her hand clutching the gun tightly. The man she met at the restaurant waved to her as he jogged down the lane.

 

“New orders from Tom Gordon.” He was out of breath, “If you accept there will be a pay raise, but the job starts immediately.”

 

“What is it? I’m not going to accept anything if I can’t know what it is first.”

 

“We have received an anonymous tip and if you want revenge for Daesung’s death you will accept this job.”

 

“Tell me more.”

 

“I can’t. Accept or deny by tomorrow.”

 

“Daesung was murdered?”

 

He nodded his head slowly.

 

“I accept.” It slipped from her tongue before she knew it.

 

“Follow me.”

 

“Cho, can I trust you?” She asked as they headed out of the shooting range.

 

“You can’t trust anyone in this business, you already know that.” He chuckled suddenly talking with his hands, “What’s wrong Soonkyu? You know I always make time for you.”

 

“Why doesn’t anyone believe that I can’t remember this place or what I used to do here?” She whispered.

 

“It’s too convenient. Everyone knew you and Daesung were up to something when Mr. Gordon found out about your last three marks. To be honest I’m not entirely sure I believe you.”

 

“What happened? What did I do?”

 

“Absolutely nothing. Daesung did all the work. He took out three highly skilled marks, you know this Soonkyu, you were the one that insisted on tending to his wounds instead of letting the doctor we have here.”

 

“Why would I do that?”

 

“You tell me.” He opened the door to a small office and locked it behind them, “Take a seat while I gather all the necessary files.”

 

He scurried around the room grabbing file folder after file folder and placed them all in a neat pile on his desk. Sunny watched as he handed her the one on top and encouraged her to take a glance. She skimmed the papers within not really understanding any of it.

 

“Instead of me reading these and asking a million question could you please just tell me what to do?” She said with a loud sigh.

 

“It’s simple. We found evidence that the vehicle you were riding in on the day of the accident had been tampered with. As you know the police didn’t investigate the death since it had been snowing the day before and the roads were slick with ice. We did our own investigation on the vehicle which concluded that there wasn’t any brake fluid and the brake pads were worn considerably.”

 

“So?”

 

“Was the car in the shop prior to the accident?”

 

“I don’t know. I can’t remember the wreck how do you expect me to remember if he got the car worked on?”

 

“You don’t have to keep acting. You’ve always trusted me.”

 

“It’s not an act! Ask my doctor for Christ's sake.” 

 

“Back on topic.” He cleared his throat, “Only you and one other person in the field know about this. She will contact you when the time is right. Your partner can’t even find out.”

 

“Can you split us up?”

 

“No.”

 

“Why?” She whined.

 

“That is out of my control. I’ll let you read over the rest of the files then you may go back to your target practice. Don’t forget to pick up your cut from basement 3 before you leave.”

 

“At least tell me her name.”

 

“Park Sunyoung.”

 

Sunny sighed, wondering if Daesoon had gotten out of the building safely.


	4. Remembering Small Beginnings

    “We’re moving.” Taeyeon announced nervously, “A bigger dorm, two bathrooms, three fridges.”

 

    “Awesome!” Sooyoung shouted launching her fist in the air, “Three fridges! That means three times more food.”

 

    “And new roommates.” Kibum said from the door, “There will be one person in a room by themselves. It’s a tiny room. If you hurry we can take a tour and choose your rooms. Also, Mr. Sooman wants Sunny to perform Gee with you next week since it will be your last time on stage until your next single.” 

 

    “Will she have time to learn it?” Yoona asked perplexed, “I don’t see the point.”

 

    “I’ll talk with the big guy again and see what I can work out. Hurry let’s get in the van.”

 

     The ride across town was filled with excited chatter. Sunny was only excited about that single bedroom. She was small and didn’t have as much junk as the others did. She was determined to get that room. She needed the privacy more than the others.

 

    All of the girls grew even more excited about the size of the apartment. It was huge compared to the cramped space they were used to sharing. Sooyoung stayed close to the kitchen, nearly in tears as she gazed at the large refrigerators. Sunny was being dragged around by Tiffany and Yoona, which turned out to be a good thing as she was able to examine the small bedroom without being questioned why she was in there so long when the two girls got into an argument.

 

    “Ok, to make things fair we will draw straws for roommates.” Kibum announced already writing their names onto some popsicle sticks. Everyone gathered in the center of the living room.

 

    “What about the single room?” Sunny quickly said, “We have to leave her name out.”

 

    “Fany should have it.” Sooyoung said surprisingly, “She doesn’t have a home here. She should at least have her own room for a while.”

 

    “I agree.” Taeyeon nodded, “Anyone object?”

 

     Sunny was about to speak up when Sooyoung playfully ruffled her hair to stop her. Earning her a stinging slap on the arm.

 

    “Alright, Tiffany is the lucky winner of the smallest room.” Kibum affirmed trying to speed things up, “Now take turns picking a name. No swapping or complaining about who you get.”

 

    “Sooyoung, you better pull my name.” Sunny looked up at her intensely, very pissed off that she was interrupted, “Or else.”

 

    “The shorties are together.” Yuri laughed, pointing at the stick Taeyeon held.

 

    Sunny looked at Sooyoung with fire burning in her eyes. The taller girl cowered a little, knowing the danger she could potentially be in. She didn’t know what Sunny and Daesung did together but she had seen the guns before and knew it was something violent. 

 

    “I-I’ll swap.” Sooyoung stuttered quietly.

 

     Once all the roommates were selected and they had all piled back into the van Sooyoung surreptitiously leaned over to Taeyeon and whispered in her ear.

 

    “I want to room with Sunny.”

 

    “We can’t swap, besides I want to room with her too.” Taeyeon replied.

 

    “Please, I’ll do anything. Jessica isn’t a bad trade.” Sooyoung continued.

 

    “No means no.”

 

    “She doesn’t want to be your roommate. She wants to be mine.” Her final blow didn’t have the impact she expected.

 

    “I don’t care.” Taeyeon elbowed Sooyoung in the rib cage just enough to push her away then turned around to look at Sunny in the back seat, “Sunny-ah _we’re_ roommates now.”

 

    “I know, Taeyeon.” Sunny glared at the back of Sooyoung’s head. She knew it would have been nearly impossible to be switched but she thought it was worth a try.

 

     Eventually, the girls were all dropped off at their own schedules. Sunny quickly recorded with Junhyung and together they went to Fractal to spar. He was satisfied with her marksman skills for the moment and had been concentrating on her physical ability as well as fighting technique. Before the accident, Sunny was strong but didn’t stick to any single style of fighting. She trusted her gut instincts, which more often than not produced the desired effect. Whereas Junhyung was methodical and had a perfectionist way of thinking.

 

    “Brute force isn’t always going to be the answer.” He lectured at her while she slowly picked herself off the mat, “You need to think about what your opponent is doing as well as what your next attack will be. You don’t even block my attacks.”

 

    “Then stop bitching and teach me!” Sunny shouted out of frustration. 

 

    “You already know these things.” He rolled his eyes, “Get up and let’s go again.”

 

    She held her ground carefully dodging his attacks while watching for his weak spots. Her stamina was the only thing that couldn’t hold up. It was slowly dwindling as his hits became more powerful. Soon she was on the ground once again. Her head missed the mat by mere centimeters and hit with a painful crack on the hard, cement  floor. Her vision became spotty before she lost consciousness altogether.

 

    “Sunny? Soonkyu!” Junhyung panicked.

 

     _Sunny looked down at the address scribbled on the back of her hand then up at the huge building she was hesitant to enter. She had heard the rumors about Starlight Entertainment getting ready to go bankrupt and her big debut with Sugar would be going down the drain if they were true. She decided to cover her bases and get a job in case it took longer than expected to get accepted by another company. A friend had given her the address to Fractal Corp. with a word that they needed another receptionist. She was hired and quickly sucked into the ugly side of the business when she stumbled upon some reports she wasn’t supposed to see._

 

     _She was relieved when they trained her instead of killing her immediately. She learned fast and was paired up with another trainee with similar talents. Kang Daesung. They were shy and awkward at first but quickly became friends after they debuted with their respective groups._

 

    Sunny opened her eyes and found she wasn’t on the floor anymore. A stranger was checking her vitals to her left and Junhyung stood to her right with a guilty look on his face. Her head was killing her but she smiled nonetheless. She remembered something and that was more important to her than her pain.

 

    “Stop smiling. Do you think it’s funny that you busted your head open? If I return you to your manager like this I’ll be sued or worse. This isn’t good at all.” Junhyung paced back and forth.

 

    She watched who she now assumed to be a doctor stick her with a needle and her vision went black again. She could still faintly hear Junhyung’s whining but it was like she was stuck between waking and sleeping. She decided it would be best to ignore him and submit to sleep.

 

    The next time she opened her eyes she was in a van. Her smile returned to her face as she lazily looked around. Tiffany was directly above her looking out the window. She began to sit up slowly but was forced back down into Tiffany’s lap by Yoona’s strong hands.

 

    “Unnie you shouldn’t sit up. Relax until we get home.” Yoona said softly.

 

    “You really gave us a scare. I can’t believe you fell down so many stairs.” Tiffany looked down at her with worry filled eyes.

 

    “Does your head hurt? Junhyung said when the pain medication wears off you’re going to be in a world of pain.” Yoona cocked her head trying to decipher Sunny’s glassy eyes and silly smile.

 

    “I think he did it on purpose.” Daesoon grumbled as he lifted his head over the seat in front of them to look down at her, “Did he push you down the stairs?”

 

    “We were fighting. I was doing better so he hit harder then I think my head missed the mat.” Sunny said, “But I remembered something. I remembered meeting Daesung for the first time. I remember how I got into all this mess.”

 

    “You were fighting with who? Sunny what are you talking about?” Tiffany asked even more worried now.

 

    “I think it’s the medicine. She’s probably dreaming.” Yoona reasoned.

 

     With the help of their manager they carried Sunny to her room and set her down on the bed. She was in and out of sleep until the painkiller wore off then it was moans, groans, and tears. She lightly felt the back of her head until she touched the tender stitches holding her wound together. She sat up slowly intending to leave the room to find something to ease the throbbing in her head.

 

    “That’s not a good idea. Tiffany is still here but she’s in the middle of a shower if you fall or pass out again it’ll be a while before someone can help you.” Daesoon said from Yuri’s bed.

 

    “You can help me. Go bring me something for this headache.” She scrunched up her nose as she saw him shake his head, “Then what good are you? Just leave.”

 

    “Tiffany said she had something prepared for you. She has the instructions that Junhyung said was from the doc.” He folded his legs under him on the bed and looked at her worriedly, “I’m scared for your well-being.”

 

    “He didn’t do it on purpose.”

 

    “Perhaps not but you still got hurt. Why were you fighting?”

 

    “Training. He thinks he can force me to remember some kind of skill he believes I had before the accident.” She closed her eyes and curled up under her blanket, “I just need to survive long enough to find the truth about Daesung.”

 

    Daesoon patted her shoulder gently then left the room quietly. Sunny sighed loudly then attempted to get out of bed again. The room swirled around her vision just enough to frustrate her and keep her from standing on her feet. She closed her eyes and took in a few deep breaths before trying again with her eyes still closed. She still felt dizzy but it was bearable enough for her to stumble to the dresser then slower to the door. As she was turning the knob she felt it push towards her.

 

    “Sunny why are you up?” Tiffany pried her hand off the door and put her back on the bed, “Is your head hurting?”

 

    “Yes, didn’t Daesoon already tell you? He wouldn’t help me so I was trying to get something for it myself.” Sunny winced with every word as the pain seemed to be getting worse.

 

    Tiffany watched her silently wondering how strong this pain killer might be, “The doctor gave us a few pills. I’ll bring you a couple with a snack.”

 

    After giving Sunny her pills and a light snack she watched the shorter woman fall back into sleep. She laid on her side facing Sunny on Yuri’s soft bed. Her worries and tiredness showing clearly on her face now. What Sunny had said earlier had really made her think about what may have happened to Sunny. It seemed odd that she had fallen down the stairs and didn’t break any bones but landed just so that she busted her head. Her mention of a fight scared Tiffany. She slowly got up suddenly drawn to Sunny’s sleeping body. Carefully she lifted one of Sunny’s arms to examine it for any bruising. She did the same with the other arm since Sunny had sprawled out in her sleep. Upon finding nothing out of the ordinary she settled back on the other bed to wait.

 

    Sunny woke up when Hyoyeon and Yoona came into the dorm noisily bickering. She rolled over with a sigh folding the pillow around her head in the process. A sharp sting had her gritting her teeth and she quickly let go of the pillow. Her eyes finally landed on Tiffany still on the other bed. Her posture was slumped to the side, eyes closed, mouth agape.

 

    “Fany-ah.” Sunny smiled drunkenly then repeated the name louder, “Fany-ah.”

 

    “Uhh.” Tiffany grunted in response to hearing her name.

 

    “Ppany.” Sunny said even louder trying her best to use aegyo through the stinging pain. Tiffany’s eyes quickly opened. She looked at her cell phone for the time then at Sunny, “Those two are too loud.”

 

    “Suck it up.” She responded much to Sunny’s surprise, “You know just as well as me they’ll settle down in a minute. Do you hurt?”

 

    “A little but it was my fault.” Sunny exhaled loudly, “What are we doing tomorrow? I know everyone will be busy all day.”

 

    “We’ll ask someone to look after you. Sooyoung’s mom probably.”

 

    “If Junhyung requests he do it, please strongly deny him for me.”

 

    Tiffany’s expression became very serious, “Tell me the truth, did you fall down the stairs or did you two really fight?”

 

    “We were-” Sunny looked relieved when Hyoyeon barged into the room cutting off her words.

 

    “Yoona’s going to order Chinese food. What do you want?” Hyoyeon said excitedly.

 

    “Jajangmyeon and pot stickers.” Sunny said rolling onto her back to be able to see Hyoyeon.

 

    “Same.” Tiffany replied irritably, “Please, continue Sunny.”

 

    “I’m feeling really tired again. We can talk about this later.” Sunny rolled over to face the wall giving Tiffany a full view of the thick line of black stitches on her head. A few tears ran down her cheeks before she followed Hyoyeon out of the room. She power walked to her room, gently closed the door behind her then dove under her sheets with her phone. After carefully hitting the right speed dial she put the phone to her ear with shaking hands.

 

    “Yeah?” Taeyeon answered quietly.

 

    “I think Junhyung is abusing Sunny.” Tiffany attempted to say calmly, “I think he hits her.”

 

    “What?!” Taeyeon’s voice rose considerably.

 

    “She won’t talk about it. She’s scared to...at least with me.”

 

    “Is that the only reason you think this?”

 

    “No. She said so herself they fight and that he hits her hard.” Tiffany recalled from the short ride to the dorm.

 

    “I’ll see if she’ll talk to me about it until then keep watching over her. She needs to heal quickly to begin filming that show with Yuri in a few weeks.” Taeyeon paused for a moment then hummed, “Dry your tears, Tiffany, be strong.”

 

    “How did you know?” She asked surprised.

 

    “I could hear your sniffles.” The older woman chuckled.

 

    Meanwhile Sunny hadn’t actually planned on returning to her dreams before the food arrived but her tired body demanded the rest it needed.

 

     _Mr. Lim, Inspector Jones, and one of their own, Jinho. All dead before the first light of dawn. Sunny looked up at Daesung with saddened eyes. He returned the look but held back a bone crushing hug when he inspected his arms and clothes. Hers were just as bloody and torn now that he looked at more than just her eyes. Sunny only looked away to pull out her buzzing cell phone._

 

_“Did we complete our mark?” She mumbled sarcastically as she punched in her answer._

 

_“Jinho was caught.” Daesung whispered, “He was so careful.”_

 

_“He must have been ratted out.” Sunny put away her phone and took Daesung’s hand as they left the last murder scene heading toward the public bath house. He kissed her cheek before going into the men’s side to give her confidence in their own plan to escape the company. Sunny finished first and stood in front of the building to wait for her boyfriend. A sick feeling still churning in the pit of her stomach, she wanted out of this town and back in her illusion of a good life in Seoul._

 

_As they were finally walking back to Daesung’s car still a few blocks away they heard the police and ambulance sirens. Running would have made them suspicious so they tightly held each other's hand and maintained their normal walking pace._

 

_“Who was Jinho’s partner?” Sunny asked softly in the almost quiet night air._

 

_“You don’t know that arrogant ass?” Daesung raised a brow surprised, “It’s Yong Junhyung the popping dragon from Xing.”_

 

_“Never heard of him.” Sunny shrugged lazily._


	5. Enough To Be Killed

    Taeyeon came home ready to force information out of Sunny if it came down to it. She felt confidence practically coursing through her veins. Tiffany greeted her before she had taken off her shoes, almost dragging her away from the lazy pile of heels and sneakers by the door. Tiffany’s tears had stopped but her eyes still showed a twinge of red anyone else would have mistaken for sleeplessness. Taeyeon took a deep breath trying to sort out who needed her the most. The worry-wart Tiffany or the injured Sunny. It wasn’t a hard decision, she turned to Tiffany pulling on her arm and enveloped her in a warm hug. The tears immediately began falling again accompanied by hiccups and sobs.

 

    “Shh Shh everything will be alright. I’ll take care of it.” Taeyeon rubbed Tiffany’s back in small circles as she tried to soothe her.

 

    “We helped her to the table to eat. She’s in her room with Yuri right now.” Tiffany managed to stifle her tears and pull out of the comfort of Taeyeon’s arms, “I haven’t mentioned this situation to anyone else, but Yoona was in the car with me when Sunny was talking about being hit.”

 

    “Yoona isn’t worried?”

 

    “She thinks Sunny was dreaming. She had been heavily drugged for the pain but…” Tiffany took a deep shuttering breath, “But I don’t think that’s the case. What she said made sense.”

 

    “Tell me what she said, all of it.” 

 

    “Um she said...we were fighting, then, I was doing better than him...he hit me harder. That’s all I remember. Everything was so scary and fast-paced when Kibum oppa got the call.”

 

    “Alright calm down. After I eat and get cleaned up I’ll talk with her. We’ll find out the truth.”

 

    “One more thing. She keeps mentioning a name, Daesoon.”

 

    “In what context?”

 

    “The last time she mentioned the name she said he wouldn’t help her get some pain pills while I was showering.”

 

    “Oh dear.” 

 

    Taeyeon walked to her room already feeling a headache start making itself present. She pulled her phone out of her pocket debating if she should call a manager or even Sunny’s uncle directly. Part of her wanted Sunny examined by a doctor immediately while the other half wanted to get all the facts before calling anyone, another small part wanted to pretend nothing at all had happened. To pretend this was all a bad dream. She blamed herself for being too passive and decided she was going to help Sunny whether she wanted it or not. She headed for the shower, looking forward to soaking in the hot water. Taeyeon clenched her teeth as she let her tears mix with the clean water falling from the shower head.

 

    Yuri stared at Sunny’s stitches curiously. She had never seen so many stitches in someone’s head before, it amazed her. Sunny surprisingly didn’t mind the attention as long as Yuri didn’t touch her. She was partly doing it in case Tiffany came back into the room wanting the truth. The other part of her missed the semi-normal interaction with her friends.

 

    “Does it hurt?” Yuri wondered aloud.

 

    “Not as much as before. I think I’m getting used to the pain.” Sunny replied with a brief nod, “Or maybe it’s the pills kicking in, who knows.”

 

    “How did you fall? You have the best balance out of all of us.” Yuri asked finally sitting down beside Sunny on the bed, looking into her glassy eyes.

 

    “I was in a hurry and didn’t tie my shoes. I tripped, my hand missed the railing and then I remember being treated by a doctor.” Sunny lied without averting her gaze away from Yuri.

 

    “I hope it heals before we start filming.” Yuri covered her mouth with her hands only to drop them to her side seconds later, “Sorry I forgot you don’t want to be in it.”

 

    “I don’t honestly care anymore.” Sunny shrugged now watching her buzzing phone. The caller ID lit up showing someone she completely didn’t expect. Putting the phone to her ear she answered shyly.

 

    “Sunny?” The rumbling male voice asked on the other end.

 

    “Seunghyun? Do you need something?” Sunny scrunched her brow in confusion.

 

    “I heard you got hurt. Are you alright?” She could hear the worry in his voice and it brought a shy smile to her lips.

 

    “Nothing a few stitches can’t fix. How did you find out?”

 

    “A little birdie told me.” He chuckled, “Do you need anything?”

 

    “Well…Can any of you come over tomorrow and help me out? None of my members will be home until late. I don’t think they want me here alone anyways.” Sunny smiled at Yuri who had a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

 

    “I’ll bring you breakfast personally.”

 

    “That’s very considerate of you.” After saying their goodbyes Sunny decided she needed to get rid of the lopsided smile on her room mate’s face, “What’s your problem?”

 

    “You invited TOP himself to be your manservant for the day.” Yuri winked.

 

    “Pervert.” Sunny whacked Yuri once with her pillow, “Tiffany hasn’t asked anyone to come over tomorrow. Besides, he asked if he could help. I’ll probably sleep all day anyway.”

 

    “Sure, sure.” Yuri sneered.

 

    “Do you have a problem with that?” Sunny asked looking over Yuri’s shoulder towards the door.

 

    “No, it’s fine.” Taeyeon’s voice made Yuri jump and quickly twist around on the bed toward the shorter woman, “Yuri, I think Yoona wanted you to help her practice a script.”

 

     With a nod Yuri left the room, completely understanding the underlying meaning. It was a code they put together after all. Normal sentences with the power to convey extra meaning if the group members could keep them straight. Taeyeon closed the bedroom door softly then sat down where Yuri was sitting before.

 

    “Tell me what happened.” Taeyeon asked testing how much trust Sunny had in her.

 

    “I tripped on my untied shoelaces and fell down the stairs.” Sunny replied not trying to hide the disappointment from her voice.

 

    “Was that before or after he hit you?” Taeyeon kept her tone quiet and soft.

 

    “He didn’t hit me. He hasn’t laid a finger on me at all.”

 

    Taeyeon grabbed hold of Sunny’s left hand, holding it tightly, “You can trust me with the truth. I’m not going to judge you, but if Junhyung is mistreating you he needs to be reported.”

 

    “He isn’t treating me wrong.” Sunny forced herself to say.

 

    “I believe your words were, I was doing better than him so he hit me harder. Do you not remember saying these things?”

 

    “Barely.” Sunny let out a loud scoff, “Did Tiffany ask you to do this? It’s nothing to worry about. I honestly fell down the stairs. Whatever she heard me talking about between the time they picked me up and when I woke up to eat was a product of the damn painkillers.”

 

    “Calm down.”

 

    “I am calm. I’m just tired of people not believing me. You want me to trust you Taeyeon but you’re going to have to trust me first.”

 

    “I trust you. How could I not? We’ve known each other for years.” Taeyeon squeezed her hand reassuringly, “Please tell me the truth.”

 

    “I have been.” Sunny jerked her hand out of Taeyeon’s grip.

 

    “Fine.” Taeyeon wanted to sigh loudly, but was able to maintain her calm facade, “Is Daesoon here?”

 

    “Daesoon? Are you fucking blind now?” Sunny’s anger was boiling just below the surface, “What do you want from me? What are you trying to prove?”

 

    “Can you ask Daesoon to come here?”

 

    “No, I can not. He should be in class right now. He’s a trainee during the day and takes night classes at some community college.”

 

    “A trainee with our company?”

 

    Sunny glared at her suspiciously, “You don’t think he’s a real person do you?”

 

    “Sunny it’s not that-.” Taeyeon was cut off not by words but by Sunny suddenly standing up on the bed.

 

    “You think I’ve become some crazy person. You see, this is why I know you don’t trust me. Get out of my room! Get out before I actually do something crazy.” Sunny threatened as she pointed at the door.

 

    “Calm down. I wasn’t accusing you of being crazy.” Taeyeon refused to move from her spot. She heard footfalls by the door now and knew Sunny’s shouting had called their attention.

 

    “Um unnie I think it’s time to leave her alone.” Yoona meekly said hesitant to reach out to the older woman. She was alarmed when Sooyoung pushed by her to get into the room. She stood between the two shortest members looking up into Sunny’s eyes wordlessly telling her to calm down.

 

    “I want to ask you something.” Sunny spoke to Sooyoung her voice no longer angry, “Privately.”

 

    Sunny waited for Yoona to escort Taeyeon out of the room before she fell down onto the bed, the room swirling around her head because of the sudden movement. Sooyoung remained where she stood, not sure of what Sunny could want from her.

 

    “I need you to get something out of the closet for me. It’s a leather journal on the very top, back corner.” Sunny proclaimed with her eyes closed, “Don’t open it and don’t ask what’s in it.”

 

    Sooyoung did as she was told and set the old journal on the bed in front of Sunny. To be honest she didn’t want to know what was in that journal. She knew whatever it was would only make her life harder than it already was.

 

    “Anything else?” Sooyoung asked quietly.

 

    “In the past have I ever mentioned the name Jinho?”

 

    “I told you before. We didn’t talk about any details.”

 

    “You already know enough to be killed. Tell it to me straight. Did I mention him or not.” Sunny demanded angrily once more.

 

    “No, you did not mention that name to me.” Sooyoung glared at the shorter woman, “I don’t know anything. How is that knowing enough to be killed?”

 

    “Thank you.” She replied ignoring the question.

 

    Sunny opened up the journal as Sooyoung sat down against the door with a huff. Sunny knew she had killed Jinho and she was hoping to find more information in the journal. Her stomach thrashed around as she skimmed through page after page of horrible details until she reached the final page. She flipped through it again and again until she noticed a page had been torn out.

 

    “That’s odd.” She mumbled to herself. Curiosity got the better of her though and she grabbed hold of her cell phone to call the one person that made her feel the most at home since this mess began, “Cho?”

 

    “Sunny I heard about your accident in the gym. Are you feeling alright?” He answered with genuine care in his voice.

 

    “I’ll be fine. Can I ask you something about a mark I completed a few years ago?” She asked getting straight to the point.

 

    “Sure, sure. Go ahead.”

 

    “It was three people in one night, a foreigner, a loan shark and one of our own. Jinho.”

 

    “I think I remember that mark. It was completed against the odds I believe. Mr. Gordon was very impressed with it.”

 

    “I’ve been thinking on it and I was wanting to know, why Jinho? What did he do wrong?”

 

    “You don’t remember? He was the example Mr. Gordon set up to remind all agents of their duties. He was trying to sell information about the company to the police and escape scot-free.”

 

    “Did Junhyung rat him out? I think they were partners at the time.”

 

    “I don’t know. I didn’t handle the finer details of it. I only gave the mark to your team.”

 

    “You’ve been very helpful Cho.”

 

    “My pleasure. Is there anything else you need?” His fatherly-like tone warmed her heart but also confused her.

 

    “Can you keep Junhyung busy until I’m healed? Head wounds are a little more serious than other flesh wounds, surely they won’t expect me to help him with any marks.”

 

    “You’re right you aren’t expected to help. We have quite a few follow ups and simple marks that have been previously failed. I think he will do nicely for these.” He chuckled at her sigh of relief, “I’ll visit soon.”

 

    Sooyoung tried not to listen to the conversation. She covered her ears with her hands, humming a lullaby softly in case any noise slipped past her fingers. Sunny’s words echoed in her mind above all else, chilling her to the bone. She thought about everything she knew about Sunny and about her mysterious other career. It's dangerous, bloody nature, the guns, the knives, the drugs. She cursed herself for ever getting involved.

 

     _You already know enough to be killed_.

 

     _Enough to be killed._

 

_Be killed._

 

    “I’m going to be killed.” Sooyoung forced the words from her pale lips, her hands fell to the floor.

 

    “I doubt it. I’m the only one that knows that you know and I’m not going to be the one to do it.” Sunny replied with a smug grin, “I want you to play my middleman. Go out there and convince Taeyeon and Tiffany that I was telling the truth, I fell down the stairs. You can probably get Yoona and Yuri to help.”

 

    Sooyoung picked herself off the floor with a slowness comparable to a slug. She wanted to laugh, to cry, and over all other urges to hide. She placed her trembling hand on the door knob, gripping it tightly as she looked once more at Sunny.

 

    “First tell me what happened.”

 

    “Why? It’s not important for one and secondly, you’ll be too tempted to tell the others if they become pitiful enough.” Sunny laid down flat on her back staring at the ceiling.

 

    “Don’t you dare let them kill me or I swear I will come back and haunt you for the rest of your life.” Sooyoung left the room hearing Sunny’s loud laughter. She did her best to convince her friends that Sunny was telling the truth, they fussed and fought about the subject until Taeyeon was too tired to argue. 

 

     Once Taeyeon was certain her roommates were asleep she grabbed a blanket and her phone then stepped out onto the balcony. She couldn’t ignore the fact that something was wrong with Sunny’s head. Her strange behavior had been going on for far too long. She searched her contacts for the person she knew would get something done about it the fastest.

 

    “I’m sorry to wake you up at this hour but we really need to talk about Sunny. Something is wrong with her.” Taeyeon spoke worriedly into the phone.

 

No one slept well that night.


	6. Enemies Hidden in Plain Sight

    The gentle smell of fresh baked bread brought Sunny out of her deep slumber. The sun was shining through her window giving the room enough light for her to notice Yuri was missing. She closed her eyes again and listened carefully for the distinct noises of eight girls rushing to get ready for the day. She was surprised to hear only the soft hum of the television, a volume level she didn’t think the television had ever been set to, and delicious sizzling emanating beyond that. She faintly remembered it was Thursday, the day Sooyoung’s mom came to tidy the apartment, so she slowly got out of bed not bothering to brush her hair or straighten her clothes and shuffled her feet out of the room.

 

    She stiffened when a deep voice humming a catchy tune ran through her ears. Head wound or no head wound Sunny knew she wasn’t going let this unknown person take advantage of the situation. She peeked into the kitchen as stealthily as she could then released the breath of air she had been holding.

 

    “Of course, I forgot.” She said to herself before straightening up and entering the kitchen properly, “Good morning Seunghyun.”

 

    “Good morning Sunny. I hope you don’t mind but I thought I would make us breakfast. It should be ready in just a few more minutes.”

 

    “Not at all. I’ll go clean up real quick.” She gave him a thankful smile then headed to the bathroom.

 

    It took longer than she had expected to shower. The area around her stitches didn’t take lightly to the tender touches of Sunny’s fingers or the shampoo being rubbed in with them. She didn’t bother drying her hair and put on some comfortable clothes before returning to the kitchen. Seunghyun was already sitting at the table waiting for her patiently. Something about him being there felt wrong to her but she forced that feeling away just as soon as it had risen and replaced it with the warm, protection she first felt when they met at his apartment.

 

    “Sorry, it took longer than I thought.” Sunny apologized as soon as she sat down across from him.

 

    “No problem. The food is still warm.” He gave her a lopsided smile to make his words more earnest.

 

    They ate in silence, it wasn’t awkward or tense. The atmosphere would have been completely relaxed had that feeling from before not have been itching in the back of Sunny’s mind. The more she tried to ignore it the more it seemed to bother her. She wished Daesoon or even Sooyoung was around to make her feel more at ease.

 

    “So has Daesung’s things helped you remember anything more?” Seunghyun asked as he set his chopsticks beside his empty plate.

 

    “I think it confused me more.” Sunny looked down at her plate sullenly.

 

    “What about me? Do you remember any more about me?”

 

    “I remember fussing at you and threatening to kill you.” She watched him try to hold back a chuckle, “What did you do to make me do this so much?”

 

    “I’m a prankster at heart.” He gave a goofy grin, “Even you became a victim from time to time.”

 

    “Hm, it seemed a little more serious than that. I suppose I’ll have to take your word for it.” She watched him nod his head happily before he began taking up the dirty plates and placing them in the sink. He then walked back over to where she was sitting still and scooped his arms under and around her, lifting her up with ease.

 

    “Yah! Put me down! I can walk on my own.” She complained loudly but didn’t try to escape from his arms.

 

    He softly set her on the couch then plopped down beside her, “I know. Would you mind of I asked you something a little strange perhaps?”

 

    “It depends on what the topic is.” She stared at him blankly trying to read his expression.

 

    “The accident. Was there any mention of a baby?” His tone was cautious, setting off alarms in Sunny’s head.

 

    “No.” Sunny answered suddenly short-tongued. She felt like she shouldn’t be talking about this subject with him. His warm personality couldn’t mask this feeling from her.

 

    “I was just curious is all. I heard some rumors going around-” He was cut off by loud beating on the front door.

 

    “Sunny!” A voice shouted through the speaker beside the door, “Hurry let me in.”

 

    Sunny stayed on the couch, she didn’t recognize that voice and feared it might be someone from Fractal. Seunghyun, on the other hand, looked at her expectantly then walked to the door on his own and checked to see who it was from the peep-hole.

 

    “Sunny-ah I can’t see who it is, but I think we should let them in. It sounds urgent.” Seunghyun looked to her anxiously.

 

    “Alright give me a second to get something from my room. Don’t open the door until I tell you to.” Sunny waited for him to nod then walked to her room. She pulled out one of her guns, hid it in the back of her sweat pants then returned to the living room to give the order to open the door. The yelling stopped as soon as the click of the lock unlatching could be heard. Sunny slipped her left hand under the back of her shirt to grip the gun handle.

 

    “What the hell took you so long?” Junhyung stumbled into the room pressing his right hand into his left shoulder with a bloody rag. Cho entered the room behind him followed by a frowning Daesoon. Sunny was utterly shocked by the men that filed into the apartment. She quickly let go of her gun and ran up to Cho for a comforting hug.

 

    “I didn’t think you would come over so fast.” She smiled brightly as if she had just won the lottery.

 

    “Go get your kit so we can pull this bullet out and sew up the hole.” Junhyung grunted as he sat down on the kitchen table gingerly, “Today please Soonkyu.”

 

    “I don’t even know where it is. What is it in?” Sunny asked still attached to Cho’s thin waist.

 

    “Trying looking in any backpacks. That’s what I remember seeing it in when you were patching up Daesung a few years ago.”

 

    Cho watched closely as Sunny and Junhyung shouted back and forth as she searched her room for the advanced medical kit she was known to use instead of seeing doctors. He knew it wasn’t something she would misplace or even pretend to not know where it is no matter how much she despised Junhyung. A revolting dry heave followed by more sounds of splashing and heaving silenced the apartment. Junhyung and Cho watched Sunny toss a backpack at Junhyung’s general direction as she ran across the room toward the noise.

 

    “Seunghyun-ah, I’m really sorry.” She said worriedly, “Are you going to be alright?”

 

    “Seunghyun?” Cho repeated under his breath finally realizing who the boy was. He quickly walked over to the bathroom and pulled Sunny out then closed the door. He retrieved a chair from the kitchen and placed it under the door handle to prevent Seunghyun from getting out.

 

    “Cho? What are you doing? Stop.” Sunny looked at him pleadingly as she didn’t understand his behavior.

 

    “It’s for his own safely. If he witnesses any more than he already has I will not be able to overlook it, he will be killed.” Cho whispered to her, “Now go help your partner.” 

 

    Some things didn’t even surprise Sunny anymore, like how she knew which tool to pull out of her medical kit or how to sanitize it. What did surprise her was that she still didn’t have the slightest clue about how she was going to get that bullet out. The first two tries resulted in more bleeding along with the possibility that the bullet was pushed further in. Cho eventually stepped in to retrieve the bullet from Junhyung’s shoulder himself. Sunny finished the job by stitching then dressing the wound without so much as making eye contact with her partner.

 

    “How the hell did Daesung live through your clumsy fix up work?” Junhyung complained staring at the side of her face as she was now looking through the backpack curiously.

 

    “He never got shot.” Sunny replied smugly, “I remember he never once was shot.”

 

    “How did he manage that? It’s almost impossible considering all the dangerous marks he took out.”

 

    “We were that good I guess. It’s not hard with long range weapons or something.”

 

    “You wanna know his secret?” Cho chuckled, “He was scared. Terrified in fact and that was enough of an adrenaline rush to be fast enough to run out of bullet range. Playing dead also had an advantage since he was well versed in close combat situations.”

 

    “Scared? Tch, what a moron.” Junhyung scowled. Without warning Sunny’s fist came down on his stomach, knocking the wind out of Junhyung. He fell back on the table trying to catch his breath while holding onto his stomach with his good arm.

 

    “Now, now don’t fight with each other.” Cho scolded, “Junhyung I want you to take the young man in the bathroom for a walk. I need a moment with Soonkyu.”

 

    Sunny looked over at Daesoon who seemed to have been forgotten about. He was leaning on the back of the couch quietly watching Junhyung cross the room. She remained silent about it though, since she felt safer with him near her. 

 

    “Sunny what’s going on?” Seunghyun said as soon as he was able to open the door. He was taken by surprise when Junhyung grabbed his shirt collar and started pulling him towards the front door, “Hey! Let go of me! Don’t you have any manners? I’m your sunbae and your hyung! Let go!”

 

    “Sunny needs some time alone with her uncle. You and I are going for a long walk.” Junhyung said burning holes into the taller man with his eyes, “We’ll come back if that’s what you’re worried about.”

 

    Cho exhaled loudly as soon as the front door clicked shut behind the two men. He smiled worriedly at Sunny, who looked scared and confused in her own right. He invited her to take a seat then followed her to the couch in the next room.

 

    “You really weren’t lying.” He said softly, “Forgive me for doubting you.”

 

    “It’s alright Cho, you don’t need to apologize.” Sunny grinned happily, “What did you want to talk about? Is it related to the investigation you gave me?”

 

    “No, it’s actually about that young man, Seunghyun. You must not remember much about him or you wouldn’t have had him over.” Cho watched her carefully, he could usually tell when she was lying 95 percent of the time.

 

    “I only remember fighting with him a lot. I’m not sure why. He told me it’s because he was a prankster. Something in me says it’s more than that.”

 

    “I think you should trust that something more. From what I understand that young man manipulated you quite often. He was very jealous of your relationship with Daesung. I don’t think it’s a good idea to get involved with him again. If you feel like his intentions are pure now, please, don’t be with him alone as a precaution.”

 

    “When I first met him, I didn’t feel he was a bad person. It wasn’t until he came to the apartment that I got this feeling. He doesn’t seem like a bad guy. He has been very sweet to me since we met. It’s hard to imagine he could manipulate me for whatever his selfish reasons were. Do, um, the rest of the members know you as my uncle?” Sunny felt Daesoon hover above her then place his hands on her tight shoulders to help her relax.

 

    “They don’t know who I am for their safety and yours.” He picked the remote off the cushion and turned up the volume on the tv then faced Sunny once again, “When you called yesterday about Jinho, what do you remember about him?”

 

    “Killing him and Daesung saying he was most likely ratted out by Junhyung for trying to get out of Fractal alive. Why?” Sunny responded curiously.

 

     “Jinho’s case isn’t something that’s talked about lightly. When you called it presumably sent a red flag up to Mr. Gordon. I don’t know the full truth about the situation but I do know that if you and Daesung had arrived even a minute later he would have gotten away that night.”

 

    “If we had been late what would have happened to us?”

 

    “Punishment for failing or possibly death, honestly that would have depended on Zachariah King’s mood.”

 

    A chill ran down Sunny’s spine, “I see, we didn’t have a choice. Oh, Seunghyun asked me if there was mention of a baby in the accident. He said there were rumors...is that true?”

 

    “I read the police reports and they didn’t say anything about a baby. Like I said before Sunny you have to be careful around him. Take everything he says with a grain of salt.”

 

    “I guess I’ll ask the other members about it too. In case there really is a rumor going around just in within us idols.” Sunny placed a hand over Daesoon’s wondering why Cho was revealing all of this in front him. Her stomach dropped knowing now that they knew he knows about Fractal.

 

    “What’s wrong Sunny? You look pale.” Cho asked alarmed at her sudden change.

 

    “Are you going to k-kill,” She choked on the last word, grasping Daesoon’s hand even tighter.

 

    “Kill who? Sunny come here.” Cho held his arms open wide to embrace her sickened frame, “No one around you is going to die. Just keep being careful and train with Junhyung like you have been doing. Everything will work out.”

 

    “You can protect them?” She sniffled.

 

    “No, but you can.”

 

    “No, I can’t. I can’t kill any more people, innocent or not. Junhyung doesn’t understand...you’re the only one left.” She pleaded desperately.

 

    “The only person I can protect is _you_.”

 

    “Did you protect Daesung? Did he really die?”

 

    “I did everything I could for the two of you. I have edited hospital records, your group schedules, report cards, anything you needed to live as normally and question free in your lives apart from Fractal. But, that accident wasn’t something I could have changed. Sunny it’s up to you to remember what happened that day. I know Daesung wasn’t a perfect driver, but he was always incredibly careful when you were with him. What in the world could have distracted him?”

 

    Tears formed in the corners of Sunny’s eyes. She wanted to remember more than anyone in this world. She tried every time she closed her eyes to remember anything about the accident. It was only the confusing memories that plagued her dreams. Bits and pieces that she couldn’t fit together in the puzzle in her mind.

 

    “Sunny-ah I think you should take your medicine and I’ll help you back to bed. All this stress isn’t good for you.” Daesoon said softly as he placed a hand on her back to gain her attention.

 

 She nodded her head, pulling away from Cho to take her medicine. Daesoon followed her to her bedroom like he said he would but she stopped him at the door, “Watch your back. You have to be careful too.” 

 

    “Soonkyu-yah, I can’t reveal too much right now, but when you are stronger I’ll tell you about the most important thing Daesung gave you.” Cho’s heart hurt to the core knowing the truth and not being able to help her with it. He feared too much shock in one day would do more harm than good.

 


	7. Motorcycles and True Friends

     _There was literally nothing for Sunny to do. She couldn’t rest properly, her nightmares were invading her daydreams, she couldn’t clean anything since she had already done that yesterday and to top it off she wasn’t even supposed to leave the apartment due to her ‘fevered ailment'. What scared her the most was that she had to hide her true reason for staying home not only from her band mates but also from Fractal. Her stomach heaved at the mere thought of either of them catching her red handed._

 

_Sooyoung would be the most forgiving for a fact but the other members wouldn’t understand why she would risk her career on such a stupid drunken decision. A horrible guilt hung over her head about the entire situation. She needed a prolonged vacation with just her and Daesung._

 

Sunny stirred in her sleep a terrible wrenching in her gut forced her into a fetal position until it passed and she was allowed back into her deep sleep dreams.

 

     _Two days._

 

_Those two words bounced inside Sunny’s mind unendingly. Three years ago she would have never thought this day would have come so easily for herself and Daesung. In two days they were going to leave Korea, their music careers, their families, and friends but most importantly Fractal Corp. She smiled nervously up at Daesung while they lost themselves in the crowded Sangsu Station._

 

_“Do you think Zachariah is trying to test us by sending us to Hongdae?” Sunny whispered closely into Daesung’s ear as they waited for their subway train to arrive._

 

_“We’ve had marks in busier places.” Daesung tried to reason, “Staying undetected by all those college kids won’t be hard.”_

 

_“You’re ordinary face won’t stick out but mine is very recognizable.” Sunny teased poking him in his rib._

 

_“I bet no one will recognize you in Rome.” Daesung winked seconds before Sunny pinched his arm._

 

_“Yah do you want us to succeed or not?”_

 

_“Don’t worry everything is going to work out perfectly. I’ve been dreaming about it every night. Me and you in a perfect little house, starting a family together, learning how to live a normal life,” His smile made it’s way to his crescent shaped eyes, “And getting to tell you how much I love you every single morning.”_

 

_Sunny giggled as she took his hand so they could board the train together. They were able to find an empty section of seating after walking up to nearly the opposite section from where they boarded. Daesung fit his arm around Sunny’s shoulders once they sat down. She rested her head on his shoulder praying she could get a few minutes of shut eye before they started hunting in Hongdae._

 

     _Being as it was Saturday a large number of people had already gathered in Hongdae for the flea market though most of the college-aged folk were just roaming around looking for good food or entertainment as usual._

 

_Choi Dongwook, age twenty-seven, came to the flea market every year on this same day. Why Fractal handed down the mark to have him killed would forever be a mystery to the couple watching him from a cafe down the street. He was already leaving a bad taste in Daesung’s mouth after ten minutes of watching him eye the young female artists as they bent down to retrieve things he slyly knocked over._

 

_“I don’t think he’s going to leave for a while. How about we lure him somewhere out of town and get this over with.” Sunny said swirling her straw around the fruity drink she ordered._

 

_“No way am I going to let him look at you with those filthy eyes.” Daesung stood up still glaring at the target from the window, “You stay here, I can handle him alone.”_

 

_“I really don’t think that’s a good idea, sweetie.” Sunny held up her cell phone, “Didn’t you see the profile Cho sent? This guy is deadly with a knife.”_

 

_“I’ll shoot him before he can get close enough.” Daesung kissed her on the forehead before leaving the cafe in a hurry._

 

_“When you get your ass kicked don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.” Sunny grumbled._

 

_She waited four minutes before quickly finishing off her drink then power walking to the side street she witnessed Daesung lead Dongwook. It was void of their presence, of course, when she arrived but clues to where they had gone were in plain view. A flower pot broken to her left, scattered dirt and partial footprints down a skinny alleyway. There was blood smeared on a brick wall near the end of the alley but no noise of a scuffle or any other clues as to where they could have gone. The alley was a dead end filled with boxes and various paint splattered canvas._

 

_“Daesung-ah.” She called out as she began walking out of the alley, “Daesung-ah.”_

 

_Sunny wondered further into a maze of alleys nearby. She wasn’t as worried about Daesung as she was getting lost, she knew he could hold his own. After a few more dead ends she returned to the cafe to wait for his return. Her cell phone had been vibrating all day with texts of worry and encouragement from her members worried about her health. Sooyoung had been the only one to send something different from the others bringing a sad smile to Sunny’s face after reading it._

 

_'Pretending to be sick to attend immoral events isn’t worth your time Soonkyu.'_

 

_'I am sick I’m not pretending. Ask Taeyeon she’s my witness.' Sunny replied quickly._

 

_'Then why aren’t you home?'_

 

_She sighed regretfully before replying._

 

_'I needed some fresh air. Daesungie is just driving me around the block.'_

 

_'Next time just open a window.'_

 

_“Are you ready to go?” Daesung’s voice frightened Sunny from over her shoulder, “We’ll report to Tom then I’ll take you to the doctor.”_

 

_“There is no need to see a doctor, just take me home.” She took his hand firmly as they left together for Fractal Corp._

 

_“Will you stitch up a couple places for me?” He shyly confessed._

 

_“What happened to ‘I’ll shoot him before he can stab me’?” She mocked._

 

_“He was a fast little dude, what can I say.”_

 

Cho watched her dream animatedly until he heard the door knob begin to turn. He quietly closed Sunny’s bedroom door and made his way back to the couch deep in thought about how to manage the situation this young girl had unknowingly put herself in. Seunghyun was the first to come running into his line of sight with defenses raised high. Junhyung sat down at the kitchen table a hand softly laying on top of the gun in his jacket. They both eyed Seunghyun carefully as he peeked into her bedroom quietly. As soon as he was satisfied he turned his attention to Junhyung.

 

    “I don’t know what you are playing at but if you grab me like that ever again I will sue you for every piece of won you own.” He seethed seeing the smug look on Junhyung’s face remain, “Wipe that look off your face.”

 

    “Let me take care of this guy Cho.” Junhyung said staring at Seunghyun fiercely now. His hand itched to pull out his gun.

 

    “Neither one of you are innocent in this matter. I suggest you both cool your heads and separate yourselves.” Cho wisely advised.

 

    “You don’t know me.” Seunghyun turned to Cho with the same hostility he had for Junhyung.

 

    “I know exactly who you are, Choi Seunghyun. I know about the games you have played, the betrayal and now you’re worried about a baby that may or may not be yours. I know everything.”

 

    “A baby? Whose baby?” Junhyung piped in suddenly interested in the conversation.

 

    “How do you know about that?” Seunghyun cautiously continued.

 

    “I want you to leave her alone now. Daesung is gone and so should your jealousy.” Cho ignored Junhyung only focusing on Seunghyun.

 

    “I still have unfinished business. There are things I need to make up to Daesung and take responsibility for my actions.”

 

    “No. You need to limit your involvement in her life, remove it if at all possible. She’s doing perfectly fine without you.”

 

    “You can’t tell me what to do.”

 

    “I can because I can influence your future.”

 

    “Ohh,” Junhyung perked up with a bit of laughter, “Please let me have the mark.”

 

    “Is that a threat?” Seunghyun observed Cho carefully trying to decide if he truly meant it or not.

 

    “Are you that stupid you can’t recognize a threat when you hear one?” Junhyung sneered, “Hurry up and leave.”

 

    Seunghyun glared at Junhyung for a moment with what only could have been pure hatred in his eyes. An exasperated sigh escaped before he stormed out of the apartment mumbling to himself angrily. Junhyung laughed, amused that he actually left.

 

    “I need to leave as well. You stay here until someone comes that can take care of Sunny.” Cho calmly commanded while he gathered his things then left. Junhyung shrugged not caring how he spent his free time as long as he had a place to nap. He checked on her one last time before grabbing the TV remote and sprawled out on the couch.

 

     Across town, the rest of the members of Girls’ Generation were taking a break in their dance studio. Lunch had been delivered and devoured already. An odd silence surrounded the girls now, a rare thing when so many of them were gathered in the same place. Tiffany watched Taeyeon, waiting for the leader to tell them what they should do next.

 

    “I wanted to tell you guys something.” Taeyeon spoke nervously but gained courage when a warm hand wrapped around her own, “I talked to Sunny about her injuries and well some of the things she said was enough cause for concern to force me to call our CEO. As soon as she’s well enough he is going to start sending her to a doctor, like a psychiatrist probably.”

 

    “She isn’t going to like that.” Jessica spoke up.

 

    “I know, that’s why I want everyone to help out when the time comes, no more passively watching. She isn’t telling us something, I don’t know what it is or why she thinks she can’t trust us.” Taeyeon clarified.

 

    “She talks to Sooyoung a lot.” Yuri suddenly thought aloud while turning toward the tallest member, “Yah, are you keeping it from us as well?”

 

    “No.” Sooyoung shrugged, “I’ve always been pretty close to Sunny. She feels the most at ease with me and I’m not going to ruin that by poking and prodding her for you all. In my opinion, I don’t think she’s hiding anything you’re just too busy accusing her of withholding something to listen. She’s starting to remember Daesung and it’s stressing her out, just leave her alone.”

 

    “She keeps bringing up a name, Daesoon I think, she told me he is a trainee. I asked around and there isn’t a trainee called that in our company at least.” Taeyeon continued, “We all know Daesung used that name on TV, it’s too much of a coincidence.”

 

    “She’s been texting and meeting with him for a while now.” Sooyoung sighed wondering if she was doing the right thing, sticking up for Sunny.

 

    “Do you have proof he is real? It’s not healthy for her to be hallucinating. It could be a symptom of a much larger problem, unnie.” Seohyun quickly asked before Taeyeon had time to retort.

 

    “Has anyone just asked her to introduce you to him? I haven’t seen him but she can’t send and receive texts from a hallucination right?” Sooyoung asked trying to make sense of it her own self.

 

    “Sooyoung-ah he isn’t real. She fussed at me when we brought her home yesterday because he wouldn’t help her get some pain pills. There wasn’t anyone else in the apartment except Kibum oppa, me and her.” Tiffany revealed sadly.

 

    Sooyoung couldn’t argue against this so she nodded her head in defeat. She stopped listening as the rest of the members began adding their two cents to the conversation, instead she scooted back to lean against the wall and closed her eyes. She slowly inched her cell phone out of her pocket and maneuvered it between her leg and the wall without anyone noticing. Quickly finding Sunny’s number she prayed the girl wasn’t asleep.

 

    'Sunny-ah you’re going to have to be more cooperative from now on.'

 

    Hyoyeon bumped Sooyoung’s shoulder with her elbow then leaned to her ear as Sooyoung quickly covered her phone with her leg.

 

    “Do you know anything? Seriously you can confide in me at least.” Hyoyeon whispered thinking her friend was just cautious about saying something to the worked up Taeyeon.

 

    “I know as much as you, really, really.” She answered hoping it would sate her questioning until she could have a word with Sunny.

 

    “I understand. We’ll talk at home.” Hyoyeon winked and moved back to her original spot. 

 

    Sooyoung quickly pulled her phone back out to check her messages, there was nothing in her inbox much to her disappointment. She returned the phone to her pocket in time for practice to begin again. It was a tiresome task but one that couldn’t be skipped, they were known for flawless live performances. She couldn’t help be relieved when they were finally on their way home or for some onto quickly finish their itinerary.

 

    Tiffany was the first to get her shoes off and discover Junhyung sleeping on the couch, television turned up loud as it displayed the news. She looked toward Sooyoung and Hyoyeon for an answer on what to do but was only returned with the same look. Each girl peeked into Sunny’s room to see how she was fairing then walked off to do their own thing. Tiffany turned off the large television then proceeded to shake Junhyung’s knee gently.

 

    “Junhyung honey, please wake up.” She coaxed sweetly.

 

    He slowly opened an eye before closing it again and stretching his stiff body, “You guys staying?”

 

    “Why are you here? TOP was supposed to watch Sunny for us.”

 

    “He had an unexpected meeting with his company. Sunny suggested he call me as a replacement.” He lied with a smile that didn’t fool Tiffany.

 

    “If you touched a single hair on her head I’ll make you wish you had never messed with her.” She threatened enraged with his nonchalant attitude. 

 

    “Sweetie, I don’t think _you_ will be doing anything to me. Now I don’t like your tone, what are you accusing me of?” He sat up on the edge of the cushion trying to read her eyes.

 

    “I don’t believe that stupid fall down the stairs story you concocted. I’m going to find out the truth and in the mean time I have a lot of oppa’s that wouldn’t mind doing me a favor if you mess with her again.”

 

    “Aish, crazy chick.” He mumbled under his breath, “I’m leaving.”

 

    Sooyoung waited for him to leave the apartment before entering Sunny’s room unnoticed by any of the girls. She sat down on the floor by the bed and waited for Sunny to awaken from her dreams. She had to set some things right between the two of them, getting the full truth would be a start.

 

     _Sunny looked down at her watch, the movie was dragging on longer than she thought it would and leaving with the excuse of using the bathroom was out of the question. All nine girls were gathered around the television set watching a few of the newest movies to have been released that month. It was starting to creep closer to midnight as well as her rendezvous time in the park. Sooyoung had placed herself furthest away from her, though not on purpose. An idea hit Sunny then and she quickly picked up her cell phone pretending to answer a call. She was able to excuse herself from the couch and out of the apartment talking loudly. Running to the building owner’s personal parking garage she jumped onto a black Honda CRF230M motorcycle then zoomed out into the street like a bat out of hell._

 

_Parking it was every crucial to tonight’s getaway. She had to find a place near their target and yet still close to her rendezvous in the park with Daesung. Ten minutes later Daesung was able to see her sprinting toward him with apologies slipping off her tongue. Her phone lit up minutes later as they were on the way to their mark she cursed silently before answering._

 

_“You have two minutes before I’m hanging up.”_

 

_“Where are you?” Sooyoung’s voice came out as a whisper, the noise from the TV heard loud in the background._

 

_“I’m out with Daesung. I really can’t talk right now.” Sunny replied knowing she would understand._

 

_“What do I tell the others if they ask?”_

 

_“I’m on a date.” She hung up the phone quickly not wanting to compromise the job at hand, “Have you had time to case the place out?”_

 

_“Only a couple hours worth. This guy doesn’t fool around, he has a high-tech security system, dogs, and a personal guard that never sleeps. From what intelligence I was able to acquire the guard changes every eight hours so we’ll have about a two-minute window to get in and out.”_

 

_“According to Gordon, we have to do this without being seen. Killing everyone would be too much for us anyway, right?”_

 

_He nodded in agreement as he grabbed hold of her hand tightly leading her to the house adjacent to the one their mark lived in. The owners had been on vacation judging from the pile of newspapers on the front porch. He had ready disabled the alarm the previous day so walking in and heading upstairs wasn’t a problem. The window facing the mark’s house was open and a sniper rifle rested against the frame ready for use, a duffle bag on the floor near that._

 

_“Rock, paper, scissors?” Daesung asked._

 

_“Loser has to be the distraction.” Sunny agreed._

 

_On the count of three his rock defeated her scissors with a joyful fist pump. She looked inside the duffle bag and her frown only increased in size. Lifting out the shirt of a girl scout uniform she could only roll her eyes._

 

_“Seriously?” She asked dreading having to put it on._

 

_“I’m really not the skirt type.” He sniggered, “Don’t forget the wig.”_

 

_Ten minutes and a pulled trigger later Sunny was running for her life as more shots were fired in the direction Daesung made the kill shot from. The man thought he was scaring off a girl scout only to receive a bullet to the head. She took a quick look behind her seeing Daesung high tailing not far away. Making it to her motorcycle and dropping him off at his apartment left a certain dread in Sunny’s stomach as she remembered what she was still wearing._

 

_“Did you get my clothes?”_

 

_“I barely had time to get rid of the gun.” His eyes turned into crescent shapes along with his smile, “Come inside and get something out of my closet.”_

 

_“If I go with you I won’t leave until tomorrow. I’ll have Sooyoung bring me something to change into.” She kissed his cheek good night then drove away._

 

Sunny opened her eyes slowly as she tried to take in all that happened in her dreams. It felt like she was being forced backward and forth in time constantly so nothing could be correctly put into a timeline. She felt her heartache but for what she wasn’t exactly sure. Sitting up slowly she turned on a lamp that revealed Sooyoung’s body at the door. Sunny picked up a shirt off the floor, balled it up and tossed it at the half asleep woman effectively waking her up.

 

    “What are you doing in here?” Sunny asked first as Sooyoung picked herself up only to fall back over onto Yuri’s bed a moment later.

 

    “I need to talk to you. Did you get my text?” Sooyoung yawned.

 

    “I’ve been sleeping so no. Is my motorcycle still here?”

 

    “You sold it, let's see, about a month before the accident. I remember you cried after you sold it, you loved that bike.” Sooyoung chuckled but quickly stopped as she remembered why she came, “Taeyeon had a talk with everyone at practice. She has called your uncle and he is going to have you sent to a psychologist or something. You need to start being more cooperative.”

 

    “There isn’t much I can do when she lies straight to my face.” Sunny grit her teeth in anger, “Shit!”

 

    “You’ve lied to her since the day you two met. She’s just worried, they all are, especially when you see people that don’t exist.” Sooyoung watched her eyes harden into a glare, “Tiffany had proof that I couldn’t discredit. Look, I don’t care if you want to keep Daesoon around just be more covert about it.”

 

    “Daesoon is as real as you are. He breathes air, eats food, I feel his touches on my skin. What part of that makes him part of my imagination?”

 

    “Then please introduce him to everyone and the problem will be solved.”

 

    “I’ll ask him to meet with the President if I have to.” Sunny grumbled reaching for her cell phone.

 

    “Sunny-ah just tell him to call her. That might be enough then make her tell your uncle she was mistaken.”

 

    “No. She’s going to see him with her own eyes. I don’t want any room for doubt.”

 

    'Daesoon, I need you to meet with Taeyeon sometime before the end of the week.'

 

    'She’s scary.'

 

    'Do you want to die?'

 

    'I’ll make arrangements :('

 

    “Why are you still here?” Sunny looked up at the sleepy giant curiously.

 

    “Tell me everything. If I’m going to lie and cover up for you I have to know.” She stretched her arms above her head then buried herself under the comfort of Yuri’s quilts, “Tomorrow of course.”


	8. Security Breech

    Cold steel knocked against Sooyoung’s temple twice before it woke her up. She nearly screamed as she scurried back until she fell off the side of the bed almost wetting herself in fear. A man stood between the two beds pointing a gun directly at Sooyoung’s head. She couldn’t see his face as it was hidden under the bill of his navy blue hat, but she was able to see the scars on the hand holding the gun. She tried to scream, to make any noise at all but was unable to vocalize what she needed to. A nasty grin spread across his dark complexion signaling to Sooyoung that her end was near. She closed her eyes tightly, praying that there wouldn’t be any pain. She heard the creak of the mattress springs then the loud bang of a gun. She held her breath for a moment until she realized nothing had happened, she was still in the dark bedroom cowering on the floor.

 

    “What’s going on? What was that noise?”

 

    “Sunny, Sooyoung open the door!”

 

    “Was that a gunshot?!”

 

     Shouting from behind the bedroom door brought tears to her eyes. She was still alive indeed. Sooyoung opened her eyes to bear witness to the bloody man now on the floor. Sunny stood over him swapping her gun for his then hiding it inside her pajamas. She almost couldn’t recognize Sunny as she meticulously searched for her bullet then unscrewed the silencer from his gun before hiding it somewhere secret. She reached out a shaking hand to the bedroom door when she was finished hiding the evidence with tears streaming down her face. Sunny ran into the waiting arms Yoona, Sooyoung not far behind to find her own solace in the arms of the other members. She braved a glance at the best actress she had ever laid her eyes on and for a moment she felt like the old Sunny had come back to them. It was only the slight awe and confusion that she saw in the self-reflecting eyes of her shorty that made her remember that wasn’t possible.

 

    “Oh my God is that - is that a body? How did he, I think I’m going to be sick.” Tiffany ran off before she could hear any of the answers to her questions as a wave of nausea began to build dangerously within her.

 

    “Call the police.” Sunny said as she wiped the tears off her chin.

 

    “We already did. What happened?” Hyoyeon said closing the bedroom door to shield everyone from the shocking scene.

 

    “He was going to kill me.” Sooyoung finally found her voice enough to speak, “He woke me up and before he could pull the trigger Sunny must have done something. My eyes were closed I didn’t see.”

 

    All eyes went to Sunny and Yoona silently demanding a continuation of the story before the police came. Yoona carefully held the girl out at an arms length looking sympathetically into her eyes with the same fear all eight of them genuinely showed.

 

    “Sooyoung fell out of the bed and it woke me up. I don’t know what came over me but I slowly stood up on the bed and jumped onto his back. I was able to grab his gun and shoot at him when he fell on the ground. I didn’t mean to kill him.” Sunny really wasn’t sure how she moved as fast as she did or knew exactly what took over  her actions during the time of the attack all she knew was that they needed to believe her. She was the only person able to keep Sooyoung alive now.

 

    The police were fast to arrive at the apartment. It was late in the morning after the scene was cleaned up, all the statements were taken and a police detail was posted around the building until the investigation is finished. Sooyoung was the most affected by the events and only Sunny felt like she could sympathize. She approached the taller woman cautiously for the first time that day at the kitchen table.

 

    “I’m sorry.” Sunny mumbled watching Sooyoung’s head lift off the table to look her in the eye.

 

    “Was he sent because I know too much?” Sooyoung sniffed and wiped her red eyes.

 

    “I don’t know...but I’m going to find out.” Sunny reached out to take one of Sooyoung’s hands but she was denied, “I will not let anything happen to you. I will not take my eyes off you until this is resolved.”

 

    “What if you had not have woken up?”

 

    “I was aware he was in the room the second he slipped in. I had to make him believe I wasn’t a threat before I could act. If he was from Fractal then he would have known better than to do what he tried to do.”

 

    “NO! Don’t tell me anything else! I know too much already without knowing the company name. This is all your fault.”

 

    “I am protecting you.” Sunny slammed her fist down on the table to add emphasis to every spoken word. Sooyoung’s eyes steadied on her during that moment, she didn’t have a choice she thought.

 

    “Girls, you need to start packing. We’ve decided to move up the moving date. Boxes have already been put in your rooms.” One of their regular staff members interrupted.

 

    Sunny was the first to jump to her feet but didn’t get more than two steps away when she felt Sooyoung tentatively grab her hand. Sunny didn’t know what was going on but she knew somehow deep down that man wasn’t after Sooyoung for knowing too much. It made her feel better now that Sooyoung was going to trust and lean on her for protection. 

 

    “I have certain things hidden in my room. I’m going to need privacy.” Sunny whispered at the threshold of the room.

 

    “I’ll wait for you here.” Sooyoung said reluctantly letting go of her hand, “Be quick.”

 

     Sunny gave her a quick nod of affirmation before disappearing into the bedroom, locking the door behind her. Yuri’s clothes laid on her bed ready to be folded and placed in a box but their owner was nowhere in the room. Sunny quickly gathered her journals, guns and anything related to Fractal or Daesung that she had hidden and put them all inside the box taken from Big Bang’s apartment. She taped it up then scribbled her name on the sides. She proceeded to tear apart the room for any more hidden items, she didn’t come up empty handed as she had found an old, scuffed up cell phone and two one-way plane tickets. She felt her phone vibrating against her thigh before she could put those items away safely.

 

    “Hello?” She answered without looking at the caller id.

 

    “What happened? What did the attacker look like?” Junhyung asked in a strange tone.

 

    “He came into the apartment, tried to shoot my roommate but I killed him first. I didn’t get a good look at him.” She gave in a little hesitantly.

 

    “Describe what you can. I have to know if he was Fractal or not.”

 

    “Fine.”Sunny closed her eyes to recreate the moment in her mind, “He was over 180cm and was wearing his hat in a way so I couldn’t see his face even looking at his profile. Sooyoung told me his hands were scarred badly. The thing is my roommate wasn’t Yuri last night, it was Sooyoung. It was a last minute decision.”

 

    “Alright, bye.” He hung up quickly, pissing off Sunny a little. She quickly opened the bedroom door to let the timid Sooyoung enter slowly.Taking a look around the room it didn’t look like she did anything except make it messier than it already was. The sour smell of blood still lingered in the room bringing back the fear she felt only hours ago.

 

    “Will you help me pack everything?” Sunny watched Sooyoung stare at the floor glassy eyed.

 

    “You can help me too.” Sooyoung nodded willing to try to ignore the fact that this was the scene of the crime. Sunny didn’t own a lot of things, most of it was clothes that they folded and stacked into her boxes. Sooyoung noticed Sunny check her phone several times but didn’t want to bother her more about why she was suddenly targeted. As soon as they finished they marched over to Sooyoung’s room where most of the girls had gathered since it was the most cluttered of all the rooms.

 

    “We’ve already packed your things for you Sooyoungie.” Hyoyeon called out with a large grin.

 

    “You didn’t need to.” She replied a bit pensively, she quickly turned to Sunny inquisitively, “What should we do now?”

 

    “Taeyeon?” Sunny asked as an idea suddenly had her thinking, “Did anything seem weird yesterday?”

 

    “No, why?” Taeyeon shook her head.

 

    “Did Sooyoung announce to anyone she was going to stay in the room instead of Yuri?”

 

    “Shit, I sent her to get more boxes with Kibum oppa and some other staff.” Taeyeon jumped off the bed with the same fervor that had Sunny running for the door. Her head was spinning from moving so fast but she didn’t care. She had to get to Yuri before anything might happen to her. News of the shooting was already airing on the major news channels. Whoever was responsible for the man in her room wouldn’t let this end so easily.

 

    Sunny quickly called Cho as she continued to run, “Cho have you heard?”

 

    “Yes, I’m working on it. This isn’t a mark handed down through Fractal so you can protect your friends Soonkyu, but don’t let anyone see you.” He warned.

 

    “I will. I have to go now, call me when you know something.” She hung up nearly out of breath as she approached Yuri just coming out of one of the company buildings, “I shouldn’t have sold that bike.”

 

     Unfortunately, she wasn’t able to take another step forward as her brain decided it had had enough of being dizzy. She toppled over onto the concrete, blacking out completely. Yuri didn’t notice until a trainee helping her gather folded boxes shouted at her. Taeyeon wasn’t far behind fussing under her breath at the shorter girl’s foolishness.

 

    “Why is she out here?” Yuri asked distressed over the situation while Sunny was picked up and moved inside to a chair in the lobby.

 

    “We don’t think Sooyoung was the intended target. Sunny and I think it’s you.” Taeyeon whispered to the black pearl carefully, “Sunny saved Sooyoung, the adrenaline must be getting to her head, she ran out here to you so fast.”

 

    “Me?! Why me?” Yuri began to look around in a paranoid manner, “Let’s load her up and get home quickly. Have you called the police?”

 

    “No, dummy, I thought Sunny and I could take down the bad guys ourselves.” Taeyeon said sarcastically, “Of course I told them. They followed me down here.”

 

    Taeyeon held on to Sunny’s phone as they headed back to the apartment. Sooyoung left several messages on the cell within the time it took the trio to arrive back at the apartment. A doctor was called to the apartment to examine the unconscious girl.

 

    “Is she going to be alright?” Sooyoung hounded the doctor every time he would pause.

 

    “She’ll be fine, but I’m going to prescribe an antibiotic to fight the little bit of infection I saw around her stitches.” He explained more to Kibum than to Sooyoung, “She’ll need to take it once a day, thirty minutes after she eats.”

 

    “When is she going to wake up?” Sooyoung craned her neck over Kibum’s shoulder to give a worried look at the girl in the bed.

 

    “A few hours I suppose.”

 

    “What if it happens again while she’s sleeping?” Sooyoung whispered to herself as she shuffled her feet away from the room. She was tempted to find the gun Sunny had taken from her attacker but she knew she didn’t have the guts to use it.

 

    “The police aren’t going to let anyone not authorized into the building. Taeyeon just changed to code on the door too.” Jessica came around the corner to attach herself onto Sooyoung’s arm, “We are safe.”

 

    “You heard me?” Sooyoung inquired with a slight pout, “Do you need help packing anything?”

 

    “I thought you would never ask.” Jessica squeezed her arm reassuringly, “It will make the time move faster, I promise.”

 

     Sunny opened her eyes as soon as Kibum and the doctor left her room. They left the door cracked so she could be checked on periodically. She closed her eyes again trying to imagine what had happened just hours ago, it perplexed her as to how quickly and accurately she reacted. She remembered waking up as soon as the bedroom door creaked, she barely opened her eyes to see who it was. His strong cologne instantly had her wishing she had a weapon closer at hand. She waited until his concentration was fully focused on Sooyoung before she inch by inch crept out of bed then went for one of the guns in Daesung’s box. She turned and shot him through the neck as quickly as she could. Her hands shook as the need to find her bullet and swap the guns filled her mind. A cover story had already formed in the back of her head when Sooyoung ran for the door.

 

 A sigh escaped her lips, what had she gotten her members into?

 

    Picking up her phone she weakly typed in Junhyung’s number then waited for him to pick up, “It’s not a mark from Fractal, have you found anything else out?”

 

    “Possibly. Cho just sent me to find Park Sukjin, he thinks he is trying to get revenge for his brother’s death.” He explained through the loud music in the background.

 

    “Park Sukjin? I don’t recognize this person’s name.”

 

    “You executed a mark on his brother a few years back. Be on guard because this guy’s family has gang ties, understand?”

 

    “Are you worried about me?” Sunny teased prompting him to hang up on her once again, “Jerk.” 

 

     Sunny carefully got out of bed, her head swimming with every step to silently close the door. She took her time pulling one of the journals out of the box it was packed in then got back in bed. She flipped through the pages looking for an entry that might jog her memory. Park was a common surname in Korea, it appeared many times in her journal making it that much harder to narrow down her search. Getting frustrated with herself she closed the book then closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure how long she had laid like that but when she opened her eyes Sooyoung and Yuri were sitting on the end of her bed. She immediately clutched the journal to her chest startled by their appearance.

 

    “How are you feeling?” Sooyoung was the first to ask.

 

    “Not all that wonderful. Why are you in here?” Sunny sat up feeling too awkward to speak to them laying down.

 

    “Our boxes are being put in the moving truck. They are going to send movers to pack up the rest of our furniture.” Yuri glanced down at the journal then back up at Sunny’s face, “We should get going too. Kibum oppa rented a whole restaurant for us.”

 

    “Sooyoung come here for a  minute.”

 

    The tallest girl quickly walked around the bed to stand by Sunny’s side then leaned down to hear what she had to say. Sunny lifted a hand up to pull her with the collar of her shirt until her ear was almost touching Sunny’s lips.

 

    “As you might know, I think Yuri was the intended target but that doesn’t mean you are safe at all. This isn’t because you know too much, it’s someone trying to get revenge on me. I swear I _will_ protect everyone so please don’t be so scared.” Sunny whispered.

 

    “How can you protect anyone when you can barely stand?” Sooyoung whispered back worriedly.

 

    “The police aren’t going to leave anytime soon. They are guarding us like they would the President, no one is going to get through them.”

 

    “Sunny you have to start healing now. I’m not going to relax until you are at one hundred percent again. I saw our Soonkyu last night after you shot that man, I want to see her again.”

 

    “Is that new?” Yuri asked giving Sooyoung a chance to break away from their secret conversation.

 

    “No, I’ve just kept it hidden very well. I don’t want any wandering eyes reading my journal.” Sunny spoke up looking directly at Sooyoung, “Even if I told you everything, this journal would be even more horrifying.”

 

    “Then burn it.” Sooyoung mumbled looking away from the bed, “Do you need help getting dressed?”

 

    “Do you think I should change?” Sunny swung her feet off the side of the bed with a grunt not remembering she hadn’t changed out the bloody oversized shirt and shorts.

 

    Sooyoung nodded her head then went immediately to one of Sunny’s boxes. She pulled out a comfortable outfit then set it on the bed. Together Sooyoung and Yuri were able to help Sunny get dressed and in the lobby with the other members in less than half an hour. She didn’t have time to put away her journal so she continued to hold it tightly against herself. Gossip about Sunny being seen running down the street was already trending on the various news sites bringing about a discussion amongst the members as well, while they traveled to the restaurant. Sunny ignored it all with her head resting comfortably on Sooyoung’s lap. The taller woman gently sliding her fingers through Sunny’s hair much like a mother would to soothe her child.

 

     It was midway through the meal that a police officer walked up to the group of huddled managers off to the side of the restaurant that they got any news on the situation. Tiffany’s sharp ears heard it first and allowed the news to send a chilling shiver down her spine, and for a moment the others were able to see the fear on her face.

 

    “What is it?” Hyoyeon asked first in a hushed tone. All nine girls leaned forward into the table.

 

    “That man that died was part of a known violent gang. The policeman said they are very crafty and that they will have to beef up security _again_.” Tiffany whispered, her voice shaking slightly, “What are we going to do?”

 

    “There isn’t anything we can do. We have to let the police handle it.” Seohyun spoke wisely, “We have to stay calm. Panicking only makes things worse, if we follow their instructions nothing bad should happen to us.”

 

    “At this rate we are going to be stuck in our new home for months. I’m going to go stir crazy.” Yuri pointed out.

 

    “It’s better than being shot at or killed.” Taeyeon nudged the black pearl with her elbow sharply, “Seohyun is right, we have to stay calm and cooperate.”

 

    “It shouldn’t take long since the police already have the evidence and know who they are trying to protect us from.” Sunny spoke up for the first time, “Let’s enjoy this break to the fullest. As soon as the threat is gone you know the kind of schedule we’ll be put on to make up for lost time.”

 

     Everyone fell silent when two of the managers approached the table to tell them the news they had already overheard. Without any protest the girls were quickly loaded into the van to be taken to their new apartment. They spent the rest of the day sorting the boxes that were dropped off into the room to whom it belonged to. Sunny who was watching Taeyeon from the floor of her new room suddenly felt sad from the loss of her old, naive, roommate Yuri. Taeyeon was much sharper when she was around even more so now that she suspects something is wrong with Sunny. The beds and other large furniture wouldn’t be ready to be moved to the new place until morning left the girls laying down blankets in the spacious living room. They all slept together like it was a slumber party on the heated floor, everyone having pleasant dreams except for one.

 

     _Tears welled up in Sunny’s eyes as the lashing continued against her raw back. She stayed determined not to let a single tear or shout escape. Daesung had taken his punishment moments before staring directly at her, she knew her presence alone kept him strong enough to endure. It wasn’t the first time they had failed a mark but it was the most severe punishment they had gotten. One yelp would have only prolonged the beating, being an idol didn’t make a difference in the eyes of Fractal._

 

_The wounded couple walked away with their heads held high but nearly collapsed as soon as they were out of sight. The tenderness of their skin made even the soft cotton of their shirts feel like nails digging into flesh. They wearily made their way up three floors to an old familiar office packed with filing cabinets. The gentleman behind the single desk in the back of the office looked down at them heartbroken._

 

_“I warned you about balancing your schedules better.” Cho lectured, “From here on out the punishments will only get worse.”_

 

_“He was in Japan and I have been in Thailand. It was impossible to complete on time even if we both got back on the plane as soon as we landed.” Sunny complained as she tried to sit comfortably in one of the chairs across from his desk._

 

_“It was a test to see where not only your priorities laid but also your loyalty. You both failed.”_

 

_“We have to balance our responsibilities as singers in two of the most popular groups as well. We can’t just up and leave without hell breaking loose from our management teams.” Sunny gave a loud frustrated shouted._

 

_“We’re still alive, aren’t we?” Daesung wanted to hug her but any movement on his part was stopped because of the pain, “We will just have to be more creative from now on.”_

 

_“Creative my ass. What’s our next mark, Cho?” She scoffed._

 

_“You will find out next week.” Cho stared down at her almost not believing she would ask for one._

 

_“We have to make a point Cho! We have to gain their trust back.”_

 

_“You are not fit to be given a mark at this time, please leave my office and rest. You will be given one as soon as you have healed.”_

 

_“But Cho!” Sunny exclaimed angrily._

 

_“Let’s go home.” Daesung grabbed for Sunny’s hand but was surprised when she moved it away from his outstretched hand._

 

_“I can’t go home like this. What will I say to them?” She finally deflated into a depressed lump in the chair._

 

_“You don’t have to go to your home, you can come to mine. You know the hyungs are never there and they don’t question us even if they are.” He tried not to wince as he extended his arm out as far as it would go waiting for her to take his hand._

 

_“You should have yourselves examined before you leave.” Cho said still watching Sunny._

 

_“They didn’t break the skin. It’s just raw and sore, it’s going to be severely bruised for a while.” Daesung smiled at the older man before finally getting out of his chair and taking Sunny’s hand, “Let’s go Sunshine.”_

 

Sunny woke up with a start in the dark room. The pain she remembered in her dream teased her after waking so much so that she rolled over onto her stomach. She lifted her head to look at the girls sleeping around her. The peace that had settled in the room tugged on her heart, this would be the only peace they would enjoy for a while.

 

    “I am going to make sure nothing happens to you. Even if it kills me.”


	9. Midnight Shift

    Yuri’s worst nightmare came true as the girls were forced to cancel all schedules until the police could bring down whoever was out for their blood, that meant they were put under house arrest. The first week went by smoothly as all they did was catch up on precious sleep. Sunny though began sleeping during the day so she could be up during the night when she was certain the police detail would be the least alert. It helped Sooyoung sleep knowing Sunny was watching over her.

 

    Sunny wished all her friends a good night silently as she got out of bed. She enjoyed this time alone more than the other members could understand. The entire apartment was quiet except for the small clinks that came from the kitchen as Sunny fixed herself an egg to eat with a bowl  of rice. She wasn’t sure how Daesoon was going to get into the apartment at all, but she had faith he would make it tonight. She had planned to do so much in the little time she had before someone woke up. None of them were light sleepers but they were all in the habit of waking up in the early morning hours in order to make it to the salon on a normal day. He arrived shortly after she showered empty handed and frowning. 

 

    “They wouldn’t let me bring up my tools.” He sighed, “I’m sorry.”

 

    “It’s fine I found a screwdriver and some random stuff the movers left.” She smiled sweetly as she put a hand on his shoulder, “We have to be really quiet, just in case you know.”

 

    “Why don’t you hide your things in your room like before?”

 

    “I feel like it would be better to spread things out. If there is another attack I want to be able to get to a weapon faster.”

 

    “What happened exactly? I’ve only heard from the news channels that someone broke into the apartment. The police are being very tight-lipped about the situation.”

 

    “Junhyung said he thinks it’s a gangster trying to get revenge because I killed his brother. He snuck into the apartment and before he could shoot Sooyoung I was able to shoot him first. It all happened so fast.” She explained quietly.

 

    “Oh sounds scary.” He shivered exaggeratedly, “Where have you already hid some things?”

 

    “I made a small place under my bed so I have my journals and a gun hidden in the frame, I made use of the compartment already in the vanity for my other things. I remember vaguely from when I was at Seunghyun’s apartment where Daesung put some of his things. Like behind pictures, or the trophy case and in the kitchen.”

 

    “You don’t have a trophy case and I really don’t think putting it behind a picture on the wall is a good idea.”

 

    “Why?”

 

    “You are a bunch girls. You redecorate on the fly all the time.” He replied in a know-it-all tone.

 

    “Fine then what do you suggest I do, smartie pants?” She crossed her arms and leaned on the heels of her feet.

 

    “Mmm...In that mountain of shoes by the door and how about in the kitchen. In that cabinet filled with all those plastic containers that no one really uses.” He paused to think for a moment, “Try to think about getting to it faster if something happens not just hiding it.”

 

    “They are good ideas I guess. Putting one in a high traffic area like the shoe cabinet makes me really nervous.” She spun the screwdriver around in circles with her finger as she talked, “Let’s just make plans tonight. Can you come over tomorrow night?”

 

    “Sure thing.” Daesoon agreed, “But if you don’t mind me asking, when were you planning on introducing me to Taeyeon?”

 

    “After all of this mess blows over. I can only focus on one thing at a time.” She reassured him with a gentle touch of her fingers on his hand, “Come on, I’ll give you a quick tour.”

 

     Yoona poked her head out of her room to glance around the apartment slightly peeved. With a scowl on her face, she started walking toward the mumbling noise that kept her awake. She walked up behind Sunny and wrapped her arms around the startled girl’s shoulders.

 

    “Unnie who can you be talking to this late at night?” Yoona whined.

 

    “Go back to bed.” Sunny pushed her back in the direction of her room, “Wait Yoona look over my shoulder and tell me what you see.”

 

    “Nothing out of the ordinary. Why?”

 

     Sunny glanced over her shoulder and mentally cursed at the empty space. She heard the front door open and close quietly. With a tight squeeze, she let go of Yoona and walked her back to her room.

 

    Yoona hesitated at the threshold of her room to turn around one more time, “Sunny you don’t have to stay up and watch over us. The police are here for that, remember.”

 

    “It makes me feel safer knowing everyone is awake while I sleep, I should do the same for you all. If anything happens at least I’ll be able to hit the panic button to get the police in here.” She ran a nervous hand through her long hair, “Don’t worry about me, please go back to sleep.”

 

    “Will you eat breakfast with us?”

 

    “Not this time. Go to bed, Yoona-yah.” She gave the younger girl a stern look that she wasn’t sure was even seen in the darkness of the hallway. As soon as the door closed Sunny returned to her investigation of the apartment. It wasn’t long before she remembered why she hadn’t ventured out in the old apartment to hide her secret objects, it was just too risky. She crawled back into her bed as soon as the clock ticked 5AM disappointed no progress had been made.

 

    Yoona rose from her bed first closely followed by Sooyoung, their nerves slightly on edge as they prepared for the day. Breakfast remained a silent affair as the rest of the girls came and went from the table. Hushed debates broke out when more than three of them gathered in the same area only to finally be settled in a quick game of rock, paper, scissors.

 

    “Damn.” Jessica cursed dropping her fist back to her side, “I’ll try but if she won’t get up I’m not bending over backward to keep trying. This was Yoona’s job after all.”

 

    “Hurry up there isn’t much time left, you know that.” Seohyun reminded her unnies calmly.

 

    “Whatever.” Jessica pouted while she walked away. She didn’t care if Sunny woke up or not, even she thought this day was going to be a big hassle and a waste of time. After walking into the room Jessica jumped onto the bed beside Sunny, bouncing her as much as possible, “Get up Lee Soonkyu.”

 

    “Get off my bed.” The shorter girl mumbled in reply.

 

    “Look just get up and comb your hair. In an hour you can go right back to sleep I promise.”

 

    Sunny simply rolled over to face away from Jessica’s high pitched voice. She then covered her face with her pillow lightly as to not press down on her healing stitches. Annoyed immediately by this behavior Jessica sat up and slapped the side of Sunny’s rear.

 

    “Fine stay in bed until your uncle gets here. I’m sure you would much rather want to be woken by him.”

 

    “Don’t lie to me.”

 

    “I wouldn’t bother waking you up if it weren’t true. I want to be sleeping right now just as much as you do.”

 

    “When is he coming?” She groaned inwardly.

 

    “Any minute now.” Jessica yawned as Sunny sat up in bed weakly, “Want me to help you?”

 

    “I’m fine, why didn’t anyone tell me he was going to drop by?”

 

    “Yoona was supposed to tell you.” A sigh escaped at the end of her sentence.

 

    “There is something I want to get off my chest anyway. Once my Uncle leaves will you gather everyone for me.” Sunny took Jessica’s outstretched hand as they left the room together. Sunny could hear her phone buzz against the wooden nightstand before they had completely entered the living room. Hope welled up in her gut that it would be Junhyung calling with good news.

 

    Barely a breath was taken before the doorbell rang. Seohyun was quick to open it with a cheery smile, all her fears hidden well under this facade much like the rest of her friends. Sooman entered the apartment followed by one of their managers, Kibum, as well as a woman none of them had been acquainted with before. Sunny observed as the prim woman did a quick scan of everyone in the room. Sunny wasn’t sure what it was, but she knew she didn’t like this woman’s presence in the apartment.

 

    “Many people within the company wish to pass on their best wishes and prayers to you ladies. This has been a very traumatic time for you all. To ensure the well-being of each and every one of you I took it upon myself to call on Lee Ye Ji, a highly acclaimed psychiatrist from Busan. I want you all to talk with her at least this once, anything you tell her will be completely confidential.” Sooman explained in a caring way.

 

    “If you don’t mind I would like to speak with Sooyoung and Sunny first.” Ye Ji motioned at the named girls. Sunny in turn glanced at the nervous Sooyoung silently warning her to watch what she said. After a small nod, Sooyoung followed the woman into an empty bedroom.

 

    “Yoona will you go get my phone for me?” Sunny nudged Yoona with her elbow discretely.

 

    “Sure.” Yoona jumped up from her place and was back with Sunny’s phone in no time. The smaller girl quickly checked her messages, there was only a voicemail from an unknown number. With her heart pounding she listened to the message.

 

    “ _Lee Soonkyu report your status_.” The robotic voice that left the message sent a chill down Sunny’s spine.

 

    “This can’t be.” She muttered as she quickly headed to the bathroom dialing Cho’s number along the way, “Cho! I haven’t been assigned a mark why am I getting called asking for my status?”

Ignoring her dizzy head she sat down on the edge of the tub waiting for his reply.

 

    “What did you tell them?” He finally asked tiredly.

 

    “Nothing, they left a voicemail. It was my understanding that if I’m injured I won’t have to take any assignments until I am healed.”

 

    “Good. Delete the voicemail and turn off your phone. I’ll send you a new one as soon as I can.” He hung up without any more of an explanation. She quickly turned the phone off fearing who it was pretending to be Fractal then exited the bathroom. She felt the eyes of Sooman following her back to her place beside Jessica but pretended not to notice and sleepily rested her head on Jessica’s shoulder.

 

    “How are you feeling Soonkyu? Is your wound healing nicely?” He spoke up moments before she was able to slip into dreamland.

 

    “It’s healing fine according to the doctor. I’m sorry I keep dozing, that antibiotic makes me so sleepy.” She partially lied. He doesn’t question her any further, instead, he waits until it’s her turn to speak with Ye Ji and follows her into the room. He watches as Sunny is polite at first then slowly shuts out the psychiatrist. She pulled out her phone sending a request to Cho to look into this woman.

 

    “Soonkyu answer the woman at least. She’s here to help all of you not report you to the nearest tabloid paper. You’ve been through the most this past month, everyone is very concerned about you.” Sooman said with his arms crossed over his chest, “You have been speaking about a young man even I haven’t been able to track down, you killed a man in self-defense, injured your head and I hear you have been sleeping during the day so that you can watch over everyone during the night.”

 

    “Daesoon is a real person. He came by last night you can ask the policeman that took his tools away from him. Just because you can’t find him, Uncle doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist.” She hastily defended, “I don’t think it’s a bad thing to stay up at night. It makes me feel better to know at least I can be aware and get to the panic button if someone slips past the police.”

 

    “How do you feel about shooting that intruder? It must be very hard to know you took a life.” Ye Ji spoke up trying to coax Sunny to talk about her feelings.

 

    “He was going to kill us, I have no regrets for what I accidentally did. I protected one of my sisters and all of their lives mean more to me than anything in this world.” She turned to her uncle, “I don’t have anything else to say to this woman.”

 

    “Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice in the matter. You will meet with Mrs. Ye Ji every week until I say you don’t need to anymore.” He responded sternly, “I will leave the two of you to speak alone now.”

 

    As soon as he left the room Sunny closed her lips tightly to any more questions the woman had for her. An uneasy silence filled the room as they stared at each other, one analytically the other glaring defiantly. Sunny knew she wasn’t going to tell this shrink anything more than she already has. If her uncle was determined to make her keep seeing this woman she planned on figuring out what it was she wants to hear and begin lying her way out.

 

    “That isn’t going to work Miss Soonkyu. I have been doing this for so many years, telling me what you think I want to hear is going to get you nowhere.” Ye Ji smirked somewhat arrogantly, “The faster you tell the truth the faster we can help you.”

 

    “I’m not stupid either Lee Ye Ji. You shouldn’t assume you know what is going through my head.” Sunny left the room slamming the door in her wake then headed straight back to her room only wanting to sleep. She didn’t expect Taeyeon and Sooyoung to follow right after her and could only stare blankly at them at the foot of her bed.

 

    “What is your problem Sunny?” Taeyeon asked angrily, clenching her fists.

 

    “I know this is all your doing Taeyeon. Let me give you some feedback, it’s not going to work. Stop trying to fix me and start accepting that I’m not the person you think I should be!” Sunny’s face was already red with anger.

 

    “Well excuse me for trying to help a friend who has been hallucinating for the past two months! If nothing is wrong with you Sunny then what could it be? Are you smoking those drugs again? Should I have called the police instead?!” Taeyeon retorted just as worked up. Sooyoung stood to the side awkwardly watching the situation escalate. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the rest of the group slowly making their way to the doorway.

 

    “Sunny calm down please.” Sooyoung tried to say above the loud bickering but to no avail. Fearing it might turn into a fist fight Sooyoung situated herself in between the two and took a tight grip onto Sunny’s shirt collar just as the first fist came in contact with her rib cage. Silence filled the room once she did so allowing Tiffany and Hyoyeon to pull Taeyeon away without much of a fight.

 

    “You can’t act like this Sunny.” Sooyoung said softly, “You have to calm down right now.”

 

    “I’m not staying in the same room as her anymore.”

 

    “That’s fine you can stay with me.” Sooyoung’s grip loosened and her arms wrapped around the shortest member in an embrace, “Will you do me a favor?”

 

    “I’m really not in the mood right now. I really want to sleep.” Sunny wiggled free only thinking about her own agenda.

 

    “Listen to me I’m very serious.” Sooyoung protested, turning the girl to look her in the eye once more, “Promise me you won’t let Junhyung get you hooked on those awful drugs again. There are better ways out there for you to relieve stress.”

 

    “Why do you and Taeyeon have to hang on that one night? He tricked me okay. I didn’t know what it was, I had just shot a child and...and if I had any brains left in my head I would have shot myself that night too.” Sunny fell on her knees holding back the tears in her eyes, “Why did I have to get myself stuck in this mess Soo...why?”

 

    “Sunny-ah, I’m sorry.”

 

    “It’s not your fault, don’t say you are sorry. Call Junhyung for me. Tell him I want my motorcycle and that he needs to hurry his ass up. I really need to sleep now.”

 

    “Take your pillow and go ahead and sleep on my bed. I’ll make sure no one disturbs you. I know we can’t talk to that woman seriously, but you can open up to me anytime.”

 

    “You aren’t scared anymore?”

 

    “I’m terrified.”

 

    Sunny nodded as she grabbed her pillow and a warm blanket. The pair left the room together, Sunny went straight to Sooyoung’s room as the taller girl nervously went to face her CEO and other members. A mix of worry and uncertainty across most of their faces.

 

    “Taeyeon, please stop trying to pick a fight with her.” Sooyoung requested showing a calm persona, “You are doing more harm than good right now.”

 

    “Why do you keep taking her side?” Tiffany asked almost accusingly.

 

    "Do you know something we don't?" Hyoyeon asked bluntly. 

 

     "If I did it's not my place to tell you anything. I respect her and I can see both sides of this stupid situation. Taeyeon you need to leave her alone seriously you are going to end up losing a friend if this continues." Sooyoung explained vaguely.

 

    "What's this about drugs? Your contract will be terminated if you fail a drug test." Sooman's voice rumbled through their ears. 

 

    "You don't have to worry about that. Sunny isn't doing any drugs." Sooyoung nervously answered knowing any of the girls could potentially argue that statement. Sunny tried to ignore the loud conversation happening behind the confines of the bedroom. She was glad Sooyoung was defending her but also sad that it had gotten out of hand so much. A strange silence filled the room leaving her ears to ring with the voices of her friends. Sleep took over minutes later.

 

     _Seunghyun grinned from his place on the couch. He could see directly into the kitchen where Sunny was gracing them with one of her home cooked meals. Daesung was out buying drinks leaving him to fantasize without restraint. He stood up and slowly approached Sunny from behind not caring if she heard him approaching or not. He pretended to trip and stumbled over until his front pressed up against her back. She sighed at his lame excuse to cop a feel of her rear and quickly elbowed his chest as hard as she could._

 

_"I missed you Sunny. Are you going to be staying the night again?" He asked huskily in her ear as he pushed his hips forward suggestively._

 

_"You better hope Daesung doesn't walk through the door right now." She threatened._

 

_"He went to Hyemin's shop. I still have a good ten minutes to harass you."_

 

_“It’s not going to happen Seunghyun.” She pushed him away to grab the cut noodles for the soup._

 

_“The water still has to boil, I know a good way to make the time pass quicker.” He winked as he laid an arm across her shoulders bringing her closer to him once again._

 

_“Fuck off Seunghyun.” She shoved him away once again hard enough for him to stumble backward._

 

_“Come on for old times sake. I really miss you Sunny. No one does it like you do.”_

 

_“Yah hyung leave sister-in-law alone so she can finish cooking.” Seungri teased from in front of the television._

 

     _He ignored the magnae to resume harassing the only woman in the apartment until he got what he wanted from her. Sneaking up behind her once again he slowly placed his hands on her thin waist. He knew he didn’t have enough time left to accomplish everything but just maybe he could set the spark that would turn into a burning fire later._

 

_“What do you think you are doing?” She threatened in a low voice._

 

_“Hyung cut it out!” Jiyong seized Seunghyun by the ear and pulled him out of the kitchen completely. She was able to complete the main dish just as Daesung and Youngbae entered the apartment with two bags of soju bottles each._

 

_“That smells delicious.” Her lover commented as soon she set the pot on the table. He helped her cut the kimchi then placed it on the table. It was like a pack of starved wolves pounced on the soup with their spoons. Daesung made sure Sunny got her fair share of the food before making a bowl for himself. As Seunghyun saw this he gently nudged her leg under the table. She ignored him completely so he continued poking and slowly rubbing higher up her leg. She tried to kick him away throughout the meal until the pot was completely void of any food._

 

_“I’ll be right back.” Daesung looked apologetic as he hurried off in the direction of the restroom. As soon as the door closed Seunghyun returned to harassing Sunny._

 

_“Have you told him yet?” He sneered._

 

_“What are you talking about?” She gave him a deadly glare._

 

_“He hasn’t asked where those marks came from yet?”_

 

_She quickly stood up, grabbed his arm then dragged him out of sight from the others. He looked at her expecting to taste her sweet lips in a glorious defeat instead her palm came in contact with his cheek making a loud slap. The assault didn’t stop with that she clenched her fists tight and started hitting him on the chest._

 

_“I love you.” He groaned painfully, “So please stop hitting me. I’m bruised enough.”_

 

_“You shouldn’t have brought it up at the dinner table! You stupid ass!” Sunny grit her teeth hitting him harder now, “You’re lucky Daesung wasn’t there, Choi Seunghyun. He would have killed you.”_

 

_“You’re going to kill me now if you don’t stop hitting me.” He grabbed hold of both her wrists as best he could but she was still managing to hit him although softer now._

 

_“If you don’t leave me alone it might just come to that, understand?” She pulled one arm free to hit him again for good measure._

 

_“Ouch, ouch, ouch yes, I’ll stop.”_

 

“Jess, would you mind changing rooms with Sunny?” Sooyoung whispered to Jessica as she looked at Sunny sleeping soundly.

 

    “I will as soon as she makes up with Taeyeon. Switching rooms now will just drive them further apart.” The blonde smartly replied, “I’ll sleep over there for tonight.”

 

    “I have this unexplainable fear that Taeyeon may snoop around. If she does will you stop her?”

 

    “Taeyeon has more respect for Sunny than that...I’ll remind her of that for you if I see anything.”

 

    A meeting was called later that day the only one excluded being Sunny. Sooyoung didn’t say much throughout the meeting. She let Taeyeon vent her anger while avoiding really answering any question tossed her way. There was a small divide within the group, Taeyeon, Tiffany and Yuri had the same mindset about Sunny, while Jessica and Seohyun tried to remain neutral. Yoona and Hyoyeon didn’t have any opinions they tried to back up some opinions that both Taeyeon and Sooyoung had.

 

    “She’s getting better guys. She isn’t hiding or having panic attacks anymore. This is progress.” Sooyoung spoke over the noise of everyone talking at the same time.

 

    “No it isn’t.” Tiffany argued, “Those actions have been replaced with imaginary friends and fear to speak up, even to us, when she’s being abused by that rapper.”

 

    “She is very capable of defending herself. I think she’s proved that to us.” Sooyoung quickly injected her opinion knowing very well how capable the shortest member is in defend herself.

 

    “What she did when she shot that man was purely a fight or flight response. She probably doesn’t even remember doing it.” Hyoyeon nudged Sooyoung’s arm, “Unless you really do know something we don’t.”

 

    “This is irritating.” Jessica mumbled to herself then looked out across everyone’s faces, “Why are we fighting with each other? Each of us have our own secrets, why can’t Sunny have hers? She’ll open up to us when she’s ready so we should be supporting her not trying to force everything out of her.”

 

    “I agree. I don’t even want to be a part of these meetings anymore.” Yoona spoke up for the first time.

 

    Sooyoung snuck away to a quiet corner of the apartment as soon as the meeting broke up. She quickly dialed Junhyung’s phone number. Playing dumb she gave him Sunny’s message then asked him what she meant until he hung up on her.

 

    “Psst Sooyoung.” A soft whisper caught her attention. She looked around from her corner until she spotted Sunny peeking out of her room. Sooyoung quickly walked over to her and shut the door so they could talk comfortably.

 

    “I’m going out tonight.” Sunny whispered a little louder.

 

    “Why? Where are you going?” Sooyoung panicked.

 

    “There are some people I need to find that might be able to clear some things up for me.”

 

    “Be careful, come back before the others wake up.”

 

    “I’ll try. Oh and…if anything bad should happen. I mean if the police can’t help us, for tonight only you can find something to defend yourself in my closet.”

 

    “If the police cannot help us what makes you think I can?”


	10. Meeting The Boss

    Sneaking out was the easy part of Sunny's evening. Getting past the police stationed throughout the building and even a block down the street wasn't as hard as she thought it might have been either. Thinking about it she paused to look back at the apartment feeling like it was unprotected now that she was out. She forced herself to continue down the street to the nearest bus stop. With her hat pushed down low she sat down on the bench between the other waiting passengers. In her left hand she held tightly onto the only phone within the group with the most connections in the celebrity world, she hoped Yoona wouldn't discover it missing before she returned. It wasn’t long before she was getting off at Nonhyun-Dong. Her nervousness increased the closer she got to the villa the top star she would be visiting lived. Only slightly remembering what kind of relationship she had with the woman made her even more nervous. She clung to the memory of the dream as if she forgot the world around her might crumble.

 

    Now standing in the lobby by the elevators Sunny quickly ran through the contacts in the cell phone until she found the one she needed. No one answered the phone so she hung up and tried again and again until the woman finally growled into the receiver.

 

    “What do you want?”

 

    “It’s Sunny. Can I come up? I’d like to have a word with you.” Sunny asked feeling her heart race in her chest.

 

    “I don’t have time for your tears or grievances. It’s far too late to try to make things right.”

 

    “Please, this is very important. I need your help.” She begged sincerely.

 

    A loud sigh was heard, “Be quick about it.”

 

    Sunny pressed the button to open the elevator, she didn’t remember exactly what happened to spoil her relationship with the top idol but she knew the woman was very close to Daesung. Upon reaching the front door she knocked with mock confidence. A yell from the inside prompted her to enter the lavish home.

 

    “Miss Hyori?” Sunny called out as she took her shoes off, the backpack she carried forgotten beside her shoes as well.

 

    “In the kitchen. You’d better start talking, you only have ten minutes.”

 

    Sunny reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She straightened it out and placed it on the counter top where Hyori could see it. The older woman barely gave it a glance as she continued to add ingredients to the sizzling vegetables in the frying pan.

 

    “Daesung gave me that note. 9:30 Kwangju Station.” Sunny studied Hyori’s body language carefully for a moment before continuing, “On what day am I supposed to meet him?”

 

    “Do you think I’m an idiot? Daesung is dead because of you, he can’t meet you anywhere.”

 

    “What day?” Sunny demanded this time with all her stubborn courage, “I know he told you. Let go of your jealousy and help me out for Christ’s sake.”

 

    “Oh, I see what’s going on.” Hyori’s sharp mind fit a few of the pieces together, “What is the last thing you remember about me Soonkyu?”

 

    “Why should that matter?”

 

    “It decides if I’m going to call security or not.”

 

    “We were all drinking together, me, you, Daesung, and another man. You got mad because I wouldn’t drink more than one bottle of soju, I think you were already drunk. For some reason, Daesung had been keeping it from you that we were dating and you had overheard it from another idol so you were also shouting at us about that. That’s it.”

 

    “This memory made you believe I would know anything about that piece of paper?”

 

    “No, not that memory but another one. Daesung told me a secret between the two of you...he said he confessed everything to you about our plans to run away to Rome. I heard you even helped him find a house. If he told you all of this then there is no doubt in my mind he told you about this little note.” Sunny hoped that would push the woman enough to tell her what she needed to hear.

 

    “It’s true, but it doesn’t change anything. Whether I know anything about that note or not it still doesn’t change how I feel about you. When you remember more, approach me again and I’ll reconsider.” Hyori dumped the veggies out onto a plate then took it to the kitchen table.

 

    “Is there a reason for your hate toward me or is it purely spite? You should know I would give anything to reverse what happened.”

 

    “It’s too late to feel guilty, now get out.” Hyori shooed her away with a wave of her chopsticks.

 

    At a loss at what she could say Sunny simply followed the older woman’s orders and left the building. She waited for another bus to take her to a neighboring district in Seoul. Visiting Hyori hadn’t been a complete failure in her mind. She now knew there was still something important about the vague note, whether or not she remembered why Hyori despised her wouldn’t matter, she was sure she could get the information she wanted from her next stop. She ignored the curious glances she received by the night owls roaming the street once she got off the bus. She power walked down the street then through the parking lot of the apartment complex she was about to enter. She relaxed as soon as she was in the building and quickly called her next target.

 

    “Hello?” He answered sleepily.

 

    “Jaesuk oppa, I need your help.” She whispered urgently as she took off her hat and messed her hair up a little making sure her stitches showed.

 

    “What? Who is this?” She heard him shuffle around, “Yoona-yah?”

 

    “It’s Sunny, can I come up?”

 

    “Sure, sure. The third floor.” 

 

     She opted to take the stairs, this time, thinking it would add a little sweat to her already messy appearance. It wasn’t long before she was standing outside his door hesitating to knock. With one hand in her pocket tightly fisting the note, she knew how gullible Jaesuk could be but she was finally feeling her heart ache for Daesung and she would do what she needed to find out all she could, her fist finally came in contact with the wooden door making an echoing sound bounce through the empty hallway. Jaesuk’s sleepy face came into view once the door was opened, Sunny had to hold back a giggle at his messy hair while reminding herself to keep a neutral face. 

 

    “Oppa, I’m sorry I woke you.” She started to apologize but he quickly pulled her inside and engulfed her in a fatherly hug. She immediately remembered the sensation of this hug on countless occasions making her instantly regret coming to him. Tears began to well in her eyes earnestly trying to spill in total disregard to what her brain was willing them to do, “Oppa, it hurts.”

 

    “Shh shh,” He patted her head gently before stepping back, “Go sit on the couch I’ll make you some tea to help you calm down.”

 

    “Na Kyungeun doesn’t mind?” Sunny glanced around the room looking at the various pictures of Jaesuk and his wife hanging on the wall and sitting prettily in their frames on the mantel.

 

    “She’s still sleeping.” He returned to Sunny holding two mugs allowing her to choose which one she preferred then sat down beside her, “What has been bothering you?”

 

    “This.” Sunny pulled the slightly crumpled note from her pocket and straightened it out on the coffee table in front of them, “Daesung gave it to me. I need to know what day I need to be at the station. I feel this horrible sense of urgency, but I don’t know why.”

 

    “Daesung is...he is dead Sunny-ah. Going to the station will only cause more heartbreak.” Jaesuk shook his head sorrowfully, “I can’t tell you the significance of that note.”

 

    “I really have to know, why won’t you tell me? Heartbreak isn’t a legitimate reason, I lived through that wreck and he didn’t, nothing compares to that guilt I feel simply from that alone.”

 

    “Trust me Sunny this isn’t a path you want to walk down.”

 

    “It can’t get any worse than it already is.” She challenged him.

 

    “It can. You have barely scratched the tip of the ice burg.” A thought finally struck him making him very nervous, “Is it safe for you to be out and about? I’ve been watching the news and know about your police detail.”

 

    “I snuck out Oppa.”

 

    “Sunny-ah it’s not safe! Why would you do such a thing? You are endangering everyone.” He stood up to retrieve his cell phone but Sunny ran over to the kitchen counter and beat him to it, “What are you doing?”

 

    “I can’t let you call the police. I’m not in any danger,” She paused to rub a tired hand through her hair while staring at him seriously, “Daesung never told you anything did he? If he wouldn’t even tell you...what should I do?”

 

    “Sunny calm down you’re speaking nonsense. Give me the phone, and let me drive you home where it’s safe.” He reached for her arm but she backed away quickly.

 

    “Oppa! I’m not going home until you tell me when I need to be at that station.” She protested loud enough to wake up the sleeping Kyungeun in the next room.

 

    “I will tell you under one condition Soonkyu. You have to remember Daesung first and foremost. I can tell you are picking up on things here and there but you haven’t mourned him yet, he is still a stranger to you. I will only tell you when you have achieved this.” He stepped away to dig in the hall closet for an extra blanket. Once he found a suitable one he tossed it on the couch, “Feel free to stay here if you want.”

 

    “How do you know if I haven’t remembered him?” She tried to challenge him once more.

 

    “Because if you remembered him we wouldn’t be having this conversation. He was taking you to the station the day of the accident.”

 

    “I’ll tell you a secret but you must never tell another soul. We were running away Oppa. Hyori helped Daesung buy a house in another country.” She whispered carefully watching his expression change.

 

    “Yah! Why didn’t the two of you tell me?”

 

    “We didn’t have a choice. Hyori was the only one that knew and I just recently found out Daesung had gone to her for help.”

 

    “You always have a choice Soonkyu-yah. If the two of you wanted to elope I could have kept the secret.”

 

    Sunny shook her head but couldn’t explain to him to the full reason for their secrecy. She hung her head as she walked over to her bag and put her hat back on, soon followed by her shoes. Once her bag was on she looked over at Jaesuk once more.

 

    “I’ll be back.” She said solemnly then reached for the door. Jaesuk quickly grabbed his keys and ran after her, “Oppa, I’ll take the bus home.”

 

    “No, if something happened to you after you leave this apartment I won’t be able to live with myself.” He took her firmly by the wrist effectively stopping all movement, “Stay here tonight and I’ll take you home tomorrow.”

 

    “I have to go before anyone wakes up. I will get in trouble if you drop me off in front of the building. I can sneak back in by myself also I have to ask you something oppa.”

 

    “Go on.” He urged.

 

    “I want to see our house one day. Daesung went through so much trouble to find it, will you help me do that at least?” She looked at him with tears almost running down her eyes.

 

    “I’ll do my best. Will you do me a favor in return?”

 

    “What is it?”

 

    “Don’t ever sneak out of your apartment while your group is under police protection again. I can’t handle the stress Sunny-ah.”

 

    “You don’t have to worry about me oppa. Just worry about helping me find that house.” She quickly left the apartment with one more stop in mind before heading home. Using public transportation she got as close as she could to the Fractal building as she felt safe doing. Sprinting the remaining distance wasn’t the best choice but she didn’t have much time left until she had to return to the apartment. She was surprised to see how busy the building was at night compared to when she normally visited during the day with Junhyung and even more surprised at the respectful greetings she received as she made a beeline to Cho’s office. His door was locked and the lights were off but she decided to knock anyway. Not expecting any answer she continued to move down the hall after a moment of waiting.

 

    “I thought I might find you here.” Tom Gordon’s deep voice gave Sunny a shock. She instantly turned around and bowed fearfully, their first meeting fresh once again in her mind, “Follow me to my office.”

 

    She followed his long quick steps silently praying she wasn’t in trouble. His office was huge compared to Cho’s office and a lot less cluttered with filing cabinets and paper, instead there was bookshelves, artwork and expensive looking furniture all around. She sat down in a leather chair in front of his desk when he motioned for her to sit.

 

    “How is your wound healing?” He asked almost making Sunny believe he really cared about her health and not when she would be accepting marks again.

 

    “It’s healing fine according to the doctor. It’s a slow healing wound.” She answered robotically.

 

    “We have been looking into the call you received. If you go to basement three they will issue you a new phone. Every week you will need to come in for an examination and once you are healed return to your normal physical exam schedule.”

 

    “Yes, sir.”

 

    “Are you feeling alright? It’s not like you to take a break even when you are injured.”

 

    “I’m no good to anyone if I can’t make the world stop spinning around me. Would you rather I failed a few marks or go get myself killed in a firefight?” She did her best to keep her tone respectful but knew a little frustration had slid through, “I’m sorry if I have disappointed you, sir. I’ll be back as soon as I am able so that I can make up for my long absence.”

 

    “I’ll expect nothing less than perfection from you. Have you had any contact with Sunyoung?” He shifted forward in his seat leaning his elbows on the desk in a relaxed manner.

 

    “She hasn’t contacted me yet.”

 

    “I see. Cho won’t be in until four, I suggest you go to basement three get a phone then go ahead and pick up Daesung’s last cut once that’s done hit the shooting range.”

 

    Leaving the office with a simple nod Sunny quickly went back to Cho’s door. She checked her phone for the time and sighed feeling time weigh down on her shoulders, she left the building and began walking toward the bus stop. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a car trailing slowly behind her. She didn’t have any weapons with her not to mention fighting in the street was always a horrible idea as it was getting closer to sunrise. She pulled her backpack to her front and began to calmly look through it. Amidst the clothes her hand ran across a pen. She clutched onto it tightly then zipped up her bag and returned it to her back. She slipped the pen into her pocket and with all her courage she turned and ran toward the car following her. Just as she was about to reach the front bumper, the driver's side door opened and Yoo Jaesuk stepped out with his hands raised submissively in the air.

 

    “It’s me! It’s me!” He shouted shocked at her aggressiveness.

 

    “Oppa why are you following me?” She demanded feeling a little dizzy from the adrenaline still rushing through her veins.

 

    “You were supposed to go straight home! Why are you wondering around when it is such a dangerous time?!” He retaliated drawing closer to Sunny hoping to snatch her up to take her home.

 

    “I’m going home right now. I needed to use the bathroom, oppa.” She lied looking him in the eye.

 

    “Get in the car Soonkyu.”

 

    “If I get in the car, you have to drop me off a block away from the apartment.”

 

    “Deal.” He walked around to the passenger's side and opened the door for her to get in. Once she was seated he closed it and they began the silent journey to the apartment. Sunny took out her phone as soon as she was dropped off and called Sooyoung.

 

    “Ah, why?” Sooyoung answered sleepily, “If you’re in trouble call the police.”

 

    “Yah get up and make a distraction so I can sneak back in.” Sunny ordered tiredly, “Do it quick, I’m being followed.”

 

    “What do you expect me to be able to do?” She complained with a sense of urgency in her voice.

 

    “Hit the alarm or something, hurry do it fast.” Sunny started making her way to the apartment so that Jaesuk would finally leave her side. He followed her until she entered the parking lot missing the chaos of the officers running into the building allowing Sunny to easily slip in. She waited for the madness to end before entering the apartment safely. Sooyoung waited for her in the kitchen arms crossed, a pissed expression gracing her face.

 

    “I’m not doing that for you again. They did a head count when I pressed that damn button and they believed you were sick in the bathroom this time. If you leave again before this is cleared up you better be able to get back in by yourself.” Sooyoung moved close to Sunny her eyes going from hard to soft in a matter of seconds, “Are you alright? Do you know who was following you?”

 

    “I scared him off at a bus stop far enough away that he shouldn’t have been able to follow me home. Don’t worry, we’re safe. I’m home now. I promise I won’t leave again, Sooyoungie.” Sunny tried to charm her tall friend so she would calm down.

 

    “This isn’t the time for aegyo. I’m not your slave just because I know a little more about your secret than anyone else does. I’m never going to threaten you with it because I don’t want anyone to be killed over it so I expect you to respect me a little more.”

 

    “I’m sorry Sooyoung-ah.” Sunny dropped her head knowing she hadn’t been treating Sooyoung fairly.

 

    “Where did you go that was so important that you couldn’t wait until it was safer?” Sooyoung probed further, satisfied with the apology.

 

    “I had to go to Fractal. On the way, I ran into some close acquaintances of Daesung and they agreed to help me find out more about Kwangju Station and our home in Italy.” She smiled sadly remembering how excited he had been about finding that house and how perfect they thought their plan was.

 

    “Italy?” Sooyoung was taken back by that piece of information.

 

    “He bought a house in Rome. We were going to run away from everything and start fresh. He really only wanted to live there because of the food. I know that much for sure.”

 

    “What kind of mess have you gotten yourself into?” Sooyoung sighed, “I wish we could leave the past behind us and just push forward like it never happened.”

 

    “I’m in too deep to ignore my past mistakes, you know that.” Sunny tried to walk past Sooyoung but the taller girl wouldn’t let her pass, “Sooyoung I’m very tired, please just let me sleep.”

 

    “Junhyung sent me a text, he wants you to call him. I’m also going to need Yoona’s phone before you go to bed.” Sooyoung held out her cell phone wanting to swap it for the one Sunny was borrowing. As soon as she complied Sooyoung moved out of the way leaving Sunny in the living room alone to make the call.

 

    “Hello?” Junhyung answered in his normal bored tone.

 

    “Have you finished it?” Sunny quickly asked as if she were rushed for time.

 

    “Pretty much, I’m on my way to drop the body off at the police station. The guard should leave in the next week or so. It’s safe for your members again.” He paused for a moment waiting to hear what she might have to say.

 

    “Thanks, Junhyung.” Sunny mumbled, “Just so you know I’m going to be without a phone until Cho sends me a new one. Call me on Sooyoung’s number if you need something. When I say need something I mean it better be life or death before you call.”

 

    She hung up on him breathing out a huge breath of relief. A smile appeared on her face as she started roaming around the apartment looking for Sooyoung. Instead of finding the one she was hoping to find she ran into the magnaes. They looked up immediately from the game they were playing surprised to see Sunny moving around in the morning hours.

 

    “How are you feeling unnie?” Seohyun asked as she stood up somewhat cautiously.

 

    “Tired, did you perhaps see where Sooyoung went?”

 

    “No, we’ve been busy playing scrabble. Do you want to join us? It will help you improve your English.” Yoona invited with a warm smile while she reached out for both Seohyun and Sunny’s hands but only succeeded in grabbing hold of one.

 

    “No thanks. If you see her tell her I’m in the living room.” Sunny ran back to the living room and quickly turned on the television. She flipped through the channels until she found a news station, “SOOYOUNG-AH!”

 

    The sound of more than one pair of feet on the hardwood floor echoed in the apartment. Sunny looked over her shoulder to see who all was coming her way. The magnaes were in the front of the group with Sooyoung and Yuri behind them, confusion was written all over their faces.

 

    “We’re safe. My friend just texted me that he saw it on the news. I’m hoping they will replay it, want to watch together?” Sunny offered since there were so many members listening to her.

 

    “Really?” Yoona’s eyes widened in surprise.

 

    “Of course, we would want to see this. Why did you only call over Sooyoung?” Seohyun chastised.

 

    “I wanted to be certain before calling the rest of you.” Sunny replied with a straight face, “Hurry up and sit down it should play in a minute or two hopefully.”

 

    Sooyoung quickly grabbed a spot next to Sunny, she waited until the magnaes were diligently watching the television before she leaned into Sunny’s ear, “Did you kill them?”

 

    “No, my partner did. We are definitely safe, you can trust me on that.” Sunny gave her a reassuring smile, “Breaking news for sure, an important member of a highly known gang was delivered to the police beaten to death.”

 

    “You know what this means now?” Sooyoung moved her head back to look into her eyes, “We have a schedule as soon as the police leave.”

 

    “You do but I shouldn’t.”

 

    “Don’t count on that. It may not be as long as ours but you will have one.” Sooyoung put an arm around the smaller girl’s shoulders and gave her a small squeeze, “Why don’t you go to bed, I’ll keep watching the news.”

 

    “I need to stay up so I will be able to sleep tonight.” Sunny shook her head twice then let it rest on Sooyoung’s shoulder, “I’m just going to rest my eyes for a minute.”

 

     _“Sunny-ah what are you doing?” Taeyeon questioned glaring at the girl in question through her sweaty bangs in the mirrored wall._

 

_“This is the fourth time we have had to stop because of you. We all know this dance by heart, what is your problem?” Jessica added equally as annoyed with their dance rehearsal progress._

 

_Sunny groaned inwardly the pain from the punishment she received with Daesung only a day ago was still as fresh as the wounds were deep. She couldn’t tell them why she was having so much trouble doing the well-known dance moves. She bit her tongue as Hyoyeon draped an arm over her shoulder then leaned her weight on the shorter member. Sunny could feel her knees go weak but dared not let herself show it._

 

_“Do I need to spend some time with you alone going over this? We’re going to have cameras in here tomorrow, you aren’t going to be allowed to mess up then.” Hyoyeon said arrogantly._

 

_“Give me a few minutes of rest, please.” Sunny’s voice came out stronger than she was expecting, giving her a small boost of strength to be able to make the walk to the bean-bag chair against the wall furthest from the group. Tiffany had followed her to sit in front of the small fan Jessica had brought from home._

 

_“Are you cramping or something?” Tiffany asked through the fan so it would change her voice._

 

_“No, I’m just really sore. I can barely bend over.” Sunny complained, “I’ll do better tomorrow even if it kills me, I just can’t endure it today.”_

 

_“Why didn’t you just say something earlier? You’re as stubborn as a mule sometimes.” Tiffany pushed the fan away as she made her way closer to Sunny, “What hurts?”_

 

_“My back.” She pouted cutely, “Could you get Sooyoung to come over? One of her magic massages might help.”_

 

_“Her hands are like magic.” Tiffany agreed wholeheartedly. She jumped up from the floor to retrieve the tallest girl with a huge smile on her face. Sooyoung then stood stiffly over Sunny waiting to be told what she should do. Tiffany took the fan and left the two alone feeling the strange air surrounding them._

 

_“Do you remember that day you saved my life?” Sunny asked causing Sooyoung to release a breath of air._

 

_“I think you mean the day I found out you are the best actress in Korea.” Sooyoung sat down on the floor and motioned for Sunny to turn around so she could begin to slowly work on the tender muscles._

 

_“Ah, it hurts.” Sunny cringed, “I don’t put on an act when I’m at home. I just have to hold back, we all have our secrets.”_

 

_“Yours more dangerous than normal.”_

 

_“What I’m trying to get at is, will you help me from time to time? Nothing that will drag you into my mess, just when I need to slip away keep the girls occupied stuff like that.”_

 

_“Only if you tell me what happened to you this time.”_

 

_“I...I failed to be somewhere while we were in Thailand. We were beat as punishment.” She whispered softly suddenly feeling Sooyoung’s hands leave her she glanced over her shoulder, “What?”_

 

_“What is it that you do for these people?”_

 

_“I can’t tell you, seriously they will find out and have you killed.” Sunny rolled back over into a sitting position, “When you’re on your deathbed I’ll tell you everything I’ve been keeping in for all these years.”_

 

_“Do you think I’ll want to know after that long? Will it be worth it?” Sooyoung joked trying to raise the mood._

 

_“Who knows, but I’ll keep my promise just in case.” Sunny smiled knowing she wouldn’t be in Korea much longer whether that meant she escaped successfully or was killed for attempting to leave she wasn’t sure, “Sooyoung-ah tell me if I get tunnel vision and ask too much of you. I still owe you my life.”_

 

_“Just promise me you will take better care of yourself and we can call it even. You haven’t been smoking anymore have you?”_

 

_“No.” She looked away then started to stand up, “Let’s finish practice so we can go home.”_

 

_“Sunny-ah,” Sooyoung grabbed the smaller girl’s wrist, “Don’t lie to me, it’s a horrible addiction, one that can get you into serious trouble if anyone else found out.”_

 

_“We all have our stress relievers when I find one that can replace this one I’ll quit, I promise.”_

 

_“Sunny.” Sooyoung’s voice held the kind of disapproval worthy of a mother. Sunny maneuvered Sooyoung’s hand until it was linked with her own then led her closer to the group of girls giggling around their water bottles._

 

Taeyeon stepped into the living room with her favorite DVD movie in her hand. She sat down for a moment beside the girls intently watching the news station then turned her attention to the television trying to figure out what they were up to.

 

    “Oh!”  Yoona shouted quickly turning up the volume, “That must be it!”

 

    Taeyeon quickly shifted her attention to the news anchor currently describing how the body of a gang leader mysteriously wound up on at the police’s doorstep beaten and tied up. Something clicked for Taeyeon at that moment giving her so much joy that she left her seat quickly to tell the other members. Sooyoung chuckled at everyone’s excitement as she gently woke Sunny.

 

    “Sunny-ah you just missed it. It’s true, the man is in police custody now.” Sooyoung smiled down at the shorter girl.

 

    “He isn’t dead?”

 

    “No, he was beaten pretty badly though from what the news report said.”

 

    “I wonder why? Junhyung doesn’t care about sending people to prison...interesting.”

 

    “Do you think something went wrong?”

 

    “No, I think he must have been watching City Hunter before he went out to get that guy.”

 

    “Oh...wow.” Sooyoung wanted to laugh but held it in for the sake of the situation, “How can he be so cold hearted and cool and yet so lame at the same time?”

 

    “Sooyoung, I have something I want to tell you.” Sunny sat up and looked around the room once before facing Sooyoung once again, “I remember the promise I made and I think I will keep it. I can’t stand for any of you to be in danger, I won’t always be around to protect you.”

 

    “Sunny-ah I know the name of your company, even though I’m not sure how it’s possible how they do it. I know who your partner is and I’ve seen the weapons you carry. Hell, I’ve even saved your ass once accidentally. How is it that I’m not on a hit list yet?” Sooyoung whispered.

 

    “Because you were smart enough not to talk about it. Silence will keep you alive a little longer my friend.”

 

    The police stuck around the until after Sunny testified at the court hearing for the gang leader. She spent her days recovering with Doctor Lee Ye Ji while the others happily started their schedules up once again. Her silence didn’t help push the woman away, instead, it helped her draw conclusions with the observations she collected and the accounts of a few of the other members. Sunny never planned on taking the medication she was prescribed the only hitch in her plan came when a manager was assigned to supervise her as she took it. That is until she started promoting her song with Junhyung and slowly joined her members on stage. Sunny spit the pills out as soon as she knew no one was looking then returned to staring at her phone waiting for a reply from Daesoon. The last time they had spoken was when he visited her in the apartment, no texts, no surprise visits no nothing. It worried her sick.

 

    “Sunny I don’t like you being in a room alone with _him_.” Tiffany said noticing her worried expression, “I will stay with you until your performance starts if you want me to.”

 

    “I don’t need a babysitter.” Sunny rolled her eyes having heard this from Tiffany before every performance, “You are just going to follow me over there any way I don’t know why you bother asking.”

 

    “Tonight is your last stage, I just want to be there for you.”

 

    “A friendly word of advice, don’t stick you head where it doesn’t belong.”

 

    “How is that friendly?” Tiffany pouted.

 

    “If you had to choose between me being alone in a room with Junhyung or a buffet after not having any food for an entire day which would you pick?” Sunny looked up from her phone to see Tiffany’s eyes light up.

 

    “I’d send Jessie to make me a plate of food.” She giggled at her own clever answer leaving Sunny with no doubt in her mind that she still wasn’t listening to her.

 

    “Miyoung, he isn’t hurting me. Please delete this thought from your head, I’m begging you. Why won’t you trust me?”

 

    “I want to believe it but…” She trailed off wishing she could smoothly change the topic, “Normally I would let this go but I have a strong gut feeling this time. If you can prove me wrong I’ll drop it.”

 

    “This is my last performance with him but he isn’t going to just disappear after that.” Sunny started to say as she tried to think of the ‘proof’ Tiffany might want.

 

    “Are you dating?” Tiffany asked cautiously.

 

    “Hell no. What is wrong with you?” Sunny smacked her own forehead in frustration, “Listen Miyoung, all I meant was if this collaboration goes well our companies may do it again or we could be on the same tv or radio programs, you never know.”

 

    At that moment Sunny’s phone buzzed in her hands catching her off guard and making her heart soar in happiness, Daesoon had finally replied.

 

    'Sorry for not responding in such a long time. I’ve had a tough workload recently. Are you feeling better?'

 

    'I wouldn’t be performing if I wasn’t. Have you seen?'

 

    'Of course I have. I have to go now but I’ll see you soon.'

 

    Sunny sighed putting her phone back in her pocket. Tiffany was still in the waiting room playing with her iPad while the stylists scurried around preparing makeup and hair products before calling Sunny over. She wondered what excuse there would be for Junhyung to use to make her train with him now that there wouldn’t be any recording or practice to use.

 

    “Yuri said she got a heads up on when you two are going to start filming that show. Are you excited?” Tiffany looked up from her iPad long enough to take in Sunny’s expressionless face, “I’ll take that as a no. You better put on a good show for the cameras, the two of you will be representing the entire group.”

 

    “You don’t have to worry about me. Yuri is the one that constantly forgets what is acceptable, maybe you should go lecture her.” Sunny grinned at Tiffany smugly.

 

    “You aren’t getting rid of me that easily.”

 

    “Since you haven’t noticed yet Junhyung is staying in his own waiting room. His group performs today so we agreed he would stay with them.”

 

    “I’m still staying...there isn’t anyone to take me back until the end of the show when you get picked up anyway.”

 

    “Fany-ah how many people do you think there are with the name Sunyoung?” Sunny asked a little cautiously wondering why her contact hadn’t contacted her yet.

 

    “How should I know? The only one I know of is Luna, why?”

 

    “No reason, just random.”

 

    It was silent for a moment as Sunny’s makeup was touched up and her hair sprayed once more with hairspray.

 

    Tiffany set down her iPad with a soft sigh, “I miss your smile. Please smile more often.”

 

    “Tiffany,” Sunny closed her mouth and shook her head deciding not to finish her sentence, instead she flashed the girl a toothy smile before leaving the waiting room ready to go on stage.


	11. Another Partner

    Sunyoung wasn’t anything like what Sunny expected. She was quiet, almost shy, nothing at all like Junhyung or anyone else she met from Fractal. She didn’t acknowledge Sunny any further than a sunbae in the music industry and a fan. It made Sunny all the more weary of the tall woman though she didn’t let it get in the way of her act, which she knew Yuri was watching closely. Yuri could only smile every time she looked over at Sunny and saw her laughing, or smiling. 

 

    “I knew this was going to be good for Sunny.” Yuri praised herself as the cast took a short break on the set of Invincible Youth. The land and the house seemed like rubbish now but she was hopeful it could be fixed soon. She watched Sunny slip around the back of the main house with the tall girl she remembered seeing from the newly debuted group T-Ara, her name was still beyond Yuri’s memory.

 

    Sunny sat down on the ground and leaned against the wall already exhausted from having to clear half of a field. Hyomin sat down opposite of Sunny her expression suddenly becoming unreadable.

 

    “Before we start, you can stop calling me Sunyoung, only my mom calls me that. Call me Hyomin from now on.” Hyomin said staring down her nose at Sunny, “Second don’t give me any of your memory loss excuses, we’re going to figure out what happened but I’m going to need your full cooperation.”

 

    “It isn’t an excuse. It was a serious trauma I went through if I still don’t remember what happened you’re going to have to deal with it. I’ve been remembering things in my sleep but none of it so far has to do with the accident.” Sunny was quick to defend herself.

 

    “What do you remember?”

 

    “I am not telling you, I don’t even trust you enough to turn my back completely on you. You are from Fractal after all.” She turned up her nose stubbornly already thinking this partnership was going to be a failure.

 

    “As you should any agent of Fractal, but I hope you will trust me one day. We’ve worked together once before on a small project, testing weapons, I don’t expect you to remember.” She looked down gathering her thoughts, wanting to make this first meeting a good one, “Have you read the reports on the accident yet?”

 

    “I scanned over it, to tell the truth, I didn’t understand any of it. His car was sabotaged or something...someone wanted him dead?”

 

    “There wasn’t any brake fluid and the brake pads were worn considerably. We ruled out poor car maintenance because we have the records to show every time it was serviced. This was definitely done on purpose we need to find out who did it and why.”

 

    “Isn’t this more of a job for the police or some sort of an investigator? I’m a killer not a CSI.” Sunny complained with a pout. She continued to frown until Hyomin scooted across the ground to be next to her. She leaned into the shorter woman’s ear carefully.

 

    “Use this as your chance to defend Daesung. The Boss has been very suspicious of your behavior since he dealt with Jinho’s betrayal, I don’t want to be the one that has to shoot you when the investigation is over.” Hyomin whispered the warning.

 

    “Are you insinuating that he did this to his own car so that we could leave the organization?”

 

    “The two of you were going to start a family, who wouldn’t have thought about leaving for the sake of a child?”

 

    “We weren’t even married yet how could we even think about children? You know Seunghyun said something about a child as well. What kind of rumors were spreading about us?” Sunny asked loudly as she leaned away from Hyomin.

 

    “I wasn’t in the celebrity circles during that time so I wouldn’t know. There was nothing said to the public about a child if that helps ease your mind any. I was just using it as an example anyway, no need to get upset.”

 

    “Sorry, look I’ll give you my number before we leave today. Let’s get back to the crew before they come looking for us.”

 

    “Since I’m not nearly as busy as Girls’ Generation I’ll do most of the digging, but I’ll need you to try your hardest to remember anything you can. You must still be close to Big Bang, maybe talking to them might jog your memory or uncover any information about the vehicle.”

 

    “I’ll do what I can, of course.”

 

    “Be careful.”

 

     By the end of the day, Sunny was more than ready to go home, she was exhausted, but Yuri, on the other hand, was still as wide open as she always was. She grinned at Sunny during the ride home, she was having a hard time taking her eyes of the girl.

 

    “You did it Sunny. I wish everyone could have seen you today.” Yuri continued to smile as she combed her fingers through Sunny’s hair tenderly.

 

    “How can you still be awake? You were complaining about being tired just an hour ago.” Sunny grumbled annoyed because she wasn’t able to sleep.

 

    “You were acting like you again. Happy, energized, fearless, the way Sunhwa said you just plucked up that chicken was amazing.”

 

    “We all put on a show for the fans. The company isn’t going to let us get away with being our true selves on television.” Sunny rolled her eyes and sat up to look at Yuri, “It’s only an act, Yuri-yah.”

 

    “There was nothing fake about those smiles today.” Yuri challenged, “Besides why did you sneak off during our last break?”

 

    “Are you my mom?”

 

    “Oh, that reminds me! Kibum oppa said something about us having our own TV show pretty soon. He said something about it involving children or infants. I can’t really remember.”

 

    “You probably heard wrong. Who would leave the nine of us alone with a baby? I’m the only one who has ever taken care of one.”

 

    “It’s not that hard I’m sure. Feed it, clean it’s diaper then put it to sleep. Easy as pie.”

 

    “Can we not talk about this anymore? I really just want to sleep until we get home.” Sunny turned her head away from Yuri and settled back down in her seat comfortably. She was on the edge of sleep when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She angrily pulled it out and tossed it to the cup holder between the two of them. Yuri let her curiosity get the better of her as the phone continued to vibrate after Sunny fell asleep. She picked it up slowly and looked at the screen. Text messages were stacking up in her notification center, she opened the first one, amused to see it was from Junhyung.

 

    'We were given a mark. I can’t do it alone, get your stuff and meet me in Kangnam'

 

    “Weird.” Yuri whispered then opened the next one still from Junhyung.

 

    'Answer me princess, we have to do this tonight. I’m not going to be punished or killed because of you'

 

    After skimming through the rest of his threats and pleas Yuri was completely confused. She looked over at Sunny once more then started typing a reply.

 

    'Reschedule I’m not going to be able to do it'

 

A reply came immediately full of fury.

 

    'Do you not remember the last time you were punished with Daesung? It’s going to be ten times worse if we fail this time! Get your shit together and get your ass out here. I couldn’t find your bike so I left something better right outside your apartment'

 

    Yuri quickly sent the texts to her phone then marked them as unread so Sunny wouldn’t get suspicious. She slowly put the phone back into the cup holder then used her own phone to text Tiffany what she had just read.

 

    'I've been telling everyone that boy is no good. We have proof now that he is forcing her to do things she doesn't want to do, no wonder she's so tight lipped about it. Let's follow them tonight.' Tiffany replied quickly.

 

    'I don't know if that's a good idea.' Yuri hesitantly answered.

 

    'I'll do it by myself if you don't want to come. Wouldn't you want to be there to help save Sunny, who knows what he is making her do.'

 

    'Fine.' Yuri put her phone up already worried about how the two of them were going to pull this off.

 

     As soon as they arrived at the apartment Sunny went straight to Sooyoung's room to rest, it was less than a minute later that she came out and went on her own only to exit moments later. She gave Yuri a quick glare before rushing out the door. Tiffany took Yuri's hand and dragged her out of the apartment after Sunny. They watched the shorter member zoom off on a motorcycle as they reached the lobby. Tiffany had already called a cab and they were able to follow her smoothly. 

 

    Sunny wasn't sure what to think of the situation, she had already figured out she was being followed, but she wasn't sure who it was. She knew Yuri had seen her texts from Junhyung, the girl had marked them as unread but failed to delete the reply she had sent. She held her breath as she flew through a stop light at an empty intersection then increased her speed passing any cars in her way. She continued to speed through traffic as she crossed the bridge into Kangnam. Assuming she had lost the taxi she quickly went to the motel Junhyung had instructed her to meet him at. As soon as she entered the room she could see a large gun sitting on the bed and Junhyung pacing near the balcony. His nervousness immediately made her want to sneak out of the room. She had never seen him nervous before.

 

    "Am I going to be shot?" She asked wishing he would stop pacing.

 

    "We have two targets tonight, the first one is in the building adjacent from us. You can clearly see it through this window. I need you sit here and wait for him to come out on the balcony or go past the window. Use that gun, you only get one shot so make sure it's a kill shot. I'm going to be in the room across from hall taking care of our other target."

 

    "Can we switch, I'm not even sure how to use that gun." She tried to bargain.

 

    "Not going to happen, the other target is expecting a man. You take your time and shoot the mark given to you."

 

     "It's a guy, right? Couldn't I go seduce him then kill him from a closer range?"

 

    "No just do what you are told. We have specific instructions tonight." He pushed her into a chair already set up by the window then handed her the sniper rifle. She watched in a slight daze as he took a deep breath and left the room.

 

    “Oh, I’m going crazy.” She mumbled to herself as she aimed the gun at the specific spot her mark would be residing. She knew the scope would give her a headache if she stared through it all night so she tried to rely on her eyesight as much as she could. It hadn’t been more than ten minutes before she finally caught a glimpse of the man she was supposed to kill. He wasn’t anyone she recognized right away so she readied the rifle waiting for her opportunity. 

 

    As she pulled the trigger it dawned on her what she was actually doing, taking a human life. It wasn’t in self-defense like the last time. For all she knew this was an innocent man. It was easy to pull the trigger, easy to get caught up in the chaos, but not so easy to wash the blood off her hands. She quickly tossed the gun on the bed and left the room. The hallway was eerily silent giving her a chill as she glanced over her shoulder starting to get paranoid. She caught a glimpse of someone familiar as her head turned but she decided to ignore it.

 

 All Sunny wanted to do was get home.

 

     She felt herself be pulled into another room and fought all her instincts to not pull her pistol out. Instead, she pulled hard on the arm gripping her sleeve, as she felt their body bump into her own she put the would-be assailant in a headlock.

 

    “What are you doing?!”Yuri squealed fearfully.

 

    Sunny let go of Tiffany and closed the door to the room, “Why are you following me?”

 

    “Just in case you needed backup or a rescue. You need to stop letting him bully you like this.” Tiffany chided while she fixed her hair.

 

    “What’s a mark? Who gives them to you? Why are they so important that if Junhyung mentions it you leave at once?” Yuri asked clinging to one of Tiffany’s arms as she recalled the text messages from earlier.

 

    “Stay out of my business. I don’t go looking through your private things so I expect you to respect me a little and not go through mine. What I do with Junhyung is also none of your business.”Sunny said seriously, feeling like a broken record, “If I didn’t want to do it then I wouldn’t. I can stand up for myself, I don’t need the two of you following me around.”

 

    “It’s just hard to believe when so much says otherwise. I told you I would drop it if you could show me some proof. Here is your chance, what are you doing here Sunny?” Tiffany looked directly into Sunny’s eyes wanting to force the truth out of her. 

 

    Sunny was about to open her mouth to speak when the sound of the door knob turning suddenly had her holding her breath. She shushed her friends and pushed them into the dark bathroom. She knelt down on the floor to peer through the cracked door waiting to see who was going to enter the room. Tiffany and Yuri looked on from above her just as nervous about being discovered.

 

    “Let’s go Princess if you’re in here. I need a ride home.” Junhyung said quietly into the room then closed the door wondering if the voices he had heard were real or not.

 

    “We can talk tomorrow.” Sunny said before leaving the room to find Junhyung. He was holding a black bag in his hand when she found him and she decided not to ask. She assumed it had something to do with the fact that he was now wearing a different shirt. When she finally arrived home she parked her new motorcycle in a more vacant part of the lot. She didn’t get off the bike instead she sat silently gliding a finger over the smooth metal admiring the beauty of what was now her own.

 

    She couldn’t remember anything after that only feeling a dull ache on the back of her head before opening her eyes and realizing that she wasn’t in the parking lot anymore. What should have been a starry sky was a steel ceiling. She slowly got to her feet and looked around the very empty warehouse. The smell of fish lingered in the place turning her stomach with every inhale. There were two chairs a few feet in front of her and doors on either end of the warehouse and nothing else. She assumed both doors would be locked, who would go through the trouble of clearing a warehouse and kidnapping someone then leave the doors unlocked, so she sat down in one of the chairs to wait for her captor. She was surprised to feel the reassuring pressure of her gun press into her skin when she sat. She didn’t have any intention of using it just knowing they had not taken it made her feel more at ease. She closed her eyes to focus on her other senses, something Junhyung had been nagging about recently. She heard a faint whine from an intercom somewhere above her.

 

    “Do you know why you are here?” A deep voice asked through the crackling speaker. It was being masked she deduced.

 

    “Not at all.” She grumbled opening her eyes once again, “Could we make this quick? I have somewhere to be.”

 

    “Did you complete your mark?”

 

    “You’ve obviously been following me so you should already know that answer. Mind if I ask a question now? Who are you?” Sunny slipped a hand in her pocket wondering if they let her keep her phone since she still had her gun and wasn’t disappointed. She looked around the warehouse meticulously from her chair for any kind of surveillance cameras or motion detectors as the voice continued to ask her question after question. She pulled her phone out and checked the signal, there was none so she stood up and headed to the door on her left.

 

    “If you leave you will die.” 

 

    “You call that a threat? It’s bound to happen eventually.” Sunny retorted resting her hand on the handle, “Either way you are not going to get the information you want from me. Next time get a weaker minded trainee.”

 

    “You are the kind hearted weak link. Why else would we target you? For kicks and giggles? You have information we need now give it to us.” The voice was irritated now and letting it come across fully in its tone.

 

    “How is the status of a mark going to aid you? I don’t know anything about the person. If you want that kind of information you need to reach higher on the food chain.” Sunny looked at her phone now, it was barely getting one bar of signal. Facing the door she leaned her forehead against the cool metal as she quickly sent a message to Cho then slid the phone back in her pocket as soon as it sent.

 

    “What is the status of your mark?” The voice asked once again.

 

    “I quit, I don’t accept marks anymore. So just shoot me already.” Sunny pulled the gun out of her pants and aimed it at her own head, “Or should I do the honors?”

 

    There was silence for a while but Sunny was determined to keep her hands steady. She didn’t know if she had it in herself to pull the trigger if the time came. She turned around and slid down the door until her butt hit the concrete floor.

 

    “I am a celebrity. How will you explain my sudden death?” Sunny asked wanting to end this interaction and get home quickly.

 

    “Your remains can be hidden in a place no one will be able to find them. You were planning on running away a year ago, fake your death and leave the country. You killed a man for turning traitor and trying to do the exact same thing.”

 

    “I didn’t have a choice!” Sunny yelled, “If he could have been spared, trust me, he would be alive today.”

 

    “Liar. Open the door and go to your death Lee Soonkyu.”

 

    Sunny decided to take her chances, whoever these people were knew far too much about her, she ran across the warehouse and flung the door open, she tripped over the hunched figure that was picking the lock. She took hold of the person intending to use them as a hostage to escape if she had to.

 

    “Yah don’t shoot it’s me.” Hyomin frantically struggled to get out of Sunny’s iron grip.

 

    “What the hell are you doing here? Never mind hurry up we’ve got to run.” Sunny let go of her partner so she could run better and hoped the leggy girl would be able to keep up. They ran until neither one had the breath to go any further and collapsed in a heap on the grass. Hyomin began laughing and pulled Sunny up so they could continue at a slower walking pace.

 

    “What’s so funny?” Sunny asked offended by the laughter.

 

    “Who were we running from? There was no one around the perimeter of that building. Was there someone inside with you?” Hyomin questioned wondering what in the world had happened to her.

 

    “I was the only one inside...but there was someone monitoring me, talking to me, asking me about my marks. Whoever this person is knows too much about me. He kept telling me if I leave I’ll die so I assumed there were men waiting to shoot on sight.” Sunny explained, “We need to get to Cho. I have to tell him about this.”

 

    “They asked you about your marks? What else did he say?”

 

    “He said some things that were private between me and Daesung. Something no one but us should have known…and Jinho’s death.” She said softly, “I’m scared, Hyomin. How is it possible they know so much about me?”

 

    “Alright let’s go. If we keep heading straight ahead there should be a bus stop. If we can keep in the public’s eye to some degree whoever they are shouldn’t try to do anything.” Hyomin took hold of Sunny’s hand to lead her in the right direction as well as to keep her close.

 

    “I still don’t trust you.” Sunny felt she needed to say out loud.

 

    “Cho trusts me.” Hyomin countered, “I trust you Sunny.”

 

    “We just met. You don’t have any reason to trust me.”

 

    “I’ve worked with you before remember, testing weapons. We were stuck together for two weeks in the Kyeonggi-do mountains. That was the hardest two weeks of my life.”

 

    “By testing you mean?”

 

    “Trying not to get shot. We were testing more than the weapons, technically, and in real life or death type situations. It was us against about five or six other Fractal agents. We survived without any serious injury obviously.”

 

    “What is wrong with these people? Aren’t they worried we might die when they put us through crap like that? We are celebrities if we suddenly die from gunshot wounds the police will investigate and will be led straight to Fractal.”

 

    “There are protocols in place for when that happens.” Hyomin cleared her throat, “My family has been a part of Fractal for a long time.”

 

     A loud crack filled the air sending a chill down both girls. They began running once again zigzagging around trees and cars when they could to avoid going in a continuous straight line until they reached the bus stop. An elderly couple was already sitting on the bench when the two girls joined them. Dawn was breaking across the sky and Sunny was feeling her exhaustion now more than ever since she was sitting down.

 

    “I’m going to call my oppa he might be able to pick us up before the bus arrives. You may want to try to get in touch with Cho since I know he won’t be at the office right now.” Hyomin said as she was scrolling through her phone contacts. Sunny simply nodded her head as she pulled her new phone out to make the call even though she only had one number for him, which she was certain was his office number. She was shocked when he answered on the third ring.

 

    “Cho?” She asked cautiously.

 

    “Yes, Soonkyu?” She could feel his tender warmth even from a phone call.

 

    “We need to meet up somewhere safe. I have a lot to tell you.” She whispered so the elderly couple wouldn’t overhear, “Someone is following me, shooting at me.”

 

    “I’ll text you the address. Take your time and be careful.” He hung up but shortly after she received a text. She showed it to Hyomin who silently nodded her head already trying to find the quickest route with her cell phone, “Do you think your friend will make it first?”

 

    “He can be here in seven minutes if he hauls ass.” Hyomin smiled at Sunny as she put an arm around the smaller girl and pulled her closer trying to make it harder for anyone to shoot her in a vital area, “Daesung would be reassuring you right now I can’t compare to him but I don’t want you to worry. We’ve escaped and no one is going kill you on my watch unless it’s by my hand.”

 

    “That’s just a little worrisome.” Sunny looked up at her with uncertainty, “I feel like all I’ve been doing since I woke up from that accident is run away.”

 

    A few minutes later Hyomin pulled her to the curb as a black hatchback import rolled to a stop in front of them. She directed Sunny to get into the back seat where she forwent the seat belt and laid across the entire seat wanting to get a little sleep. 

 

    “Where are we going?” The driver asked in a whisper noticing Sunny’s closed eyes. Hyomin simply shook her head and began to tell him what direction to go, “Why is Sunny with you?”

 

    “We’re working together.” She answered shortly, “Turn left up here.”

 

    “You’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you? Are you trying to get yourself killed?” He whispered softer.

 

    “I can hear you.” Sunny grumbled angrily, “How would working with me get Hyomin killed?”

 

    There was silence for a moment until Hyomin slapped her friend’s arm, “You’re bad luck...and everyone thinks you went rogue. You killed Jinho then Daesung, you are wiping out good men and pretending to not remember anything. I won’t be surprised if Mr. King takes a mark and kills you himself. What are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to bring the company down like Jinho wanted to do?”

 

    Sunny didn’t reply. She was so angry she was shaking as she held back the onslaught of words and punches she wanted to verbalize. He wasn’t worth it though, she didn’t have a real answer for him to begin with. 

Why would Hyomin ask for help from this guy? She wondered.

 

    “Jinho was a mark given to Sunny _and_ Daesung, they didn’t have a choice but to complete it and Daesung’s death was an accident you idiot.” Hyomin answered slapping him on the back of the head for good measure, “Keep your half brained opinions to yourself from now on until you get all the facts.”

 

    “I have enough facts. I’m not the only one talking about this you know. We respect you Sunny, we do...you’re behavior is just too weird.”

 

    “Make another left at the next street.” Hyomin advised pointing at the street sign she was referring to.

 

    “We went to Jinho last that night hoping he would have escaped already. That fool was taking his time, he really thought he was home free. We didn’t have a choice but to kill him, we were being spied on to make sure the mark was successful.” Sunny said remembering the feeling of being followed that entire day, Daesung had felt it too.

 

    “Get on the highway from here, we’ll get off at exit 206.” Hyomin interjected, “None of us have a choice, we complete our marks or we suffer the punishment. Everyone knows that. I still don’t see why this became such a big fuss. You better start getting rid of those rumors.”

 

    “Sure, whatever.” He grumbled as he hit the accelerator sending the car speeding onto the on ramp. Sunny closed her eyes as the pair in the front seat continued to bicker with each other. She readjusted herself on the back seat and closed her eyes once again. She started to wonder if anyone had noticed she was missing yet.

 

    “Don’t fall asleep just yet. We’re almost there, Sunny.” Hyomin looked back noticing the discomfort in Sunny’s posture, “Don’t worry.”

 

    Sunny sat up and leaned against the car door finally accepting the fact that she wasn’t going to be able to get any sleep. She quickly realized where they were heading even though she didn’t recognize the address she could see the house in her mind’s eye. It wasn’t long before they were pulling into the driveway and Sunny was the first to get out of the car. She ran up to the door and let herself in with Hyomin not far behind. Cho was sitting in a rocking chair with a book in his hands and spectacles on his bony nose. He looked up after the door was closed and motioned for the pair to join him.

 

    “Someone has been watching me for a while, Cho. They kidnapped me, asked me about marks, tried to hold information about Daesung and me that only we would know over my head to get answers. We were shot at while I was escaping and who knows probably followed here too.” Sunny explained as quickly as she could, “What do we do?”

 

    “Well, we were able to trace the call back to a disposable cell phone. It was paid for in cash so the trail ends there but we were able to pick up the GPS on your phone while you were in that warehouse. The satellites showed there was no one around or on the building but we were able to pick up a faint radio signal.” Cho cleared his throat, “Unfortunately that’s as far as we got. We couldn’t trace where it was coming from.”

 

    “Will Fractal try to help me in this matter or will they just cut their losses to save themselves?” Sunny asked worried for her own future.

 

    “If the company was going to cut their losses they wouldn’t have put up with your memory loss claims.” Hyomin said quietly, “They still need you Sunny or they are waiting for something.”

 

    “Like what? For me to mess up?” Sunny scowled.

 

    “I don’t know.”

 

    “Cho?”

 

    “Yes, Soonkyu?” He set his book to the side and gave her his full attention.

 

    “What should I do?”

 

    “We’re doing all we can right now. We’ll watch you more closely until we can find out who this is. Live your life as you have been doing, focus on your assignment with Sunyoung.”

 

    “What about Junhyung? And any marks he tries to drag me into?”

 

    “I won’t be giving either of you any marks for the time being. Mr. King is aware of the entire situation so don’t worry.”

 

    “That makes me worry even more. I’ll try my best Cho.” Sunny grumbled as she looked over at Hyomin who was intently listening from the floor near the feet of a red sofa, “How close is your apartment from here?”

 

    “Not too far why?” Hyomin raised a brow somewhat confused.

 

    “Can I crash there for a little while? I’m never going to get any sleep if I show up at home at this hour.”

 

    “You’re right it’s nearly five, they should all be calling you pretty soon.” Hyomin held out her hand, “Give me your phone and go get in the car. I’ll take care of everything.”

 

    Sunny merely nodded her head and handed over the cell phone, she pulled her gun out of the back of her pants and walked to the front door cautiously. Hyomin waited for her to leave before letting out a tired sigh and turned back to Cho not hiding a small pout.

 

    “Put up with it a little longer Sunyoung.” Cho embraced her, giving her strength, “You have to get to the end of this quickly and she needs to be found innocent. Mr. King is keeping an eye on her personally.”

 

    “Why would they put her on this investigation if they think she is guilty of something?”

 

    “I don’t know. You have to do all you can to help her come out of this unscathed. I can only do so much from my end.” Hyomin could hear a small amount of stress in his voice.

 

    “I can’t do as well as Daesung but I’ll take over, I promise Cho.” Hyomin grinned hoping to lift the stress off his shoulders, “I’ve been wondering about this for a while now...why do you watch over her like this? You two aren’t related so why do you feel so strongly about her?”

 

    “It’s personal. You should be getting home.” Cho picked his book up once more and opened it up.

 

    Hyomin left more leisurely than Sunny. She checked the back seat of the car to see Sunny was already sleeping soundly. She gave her friend directions to her apartment and closed her eyes as well no longer in the mood for talking.  The apartment was an absolute mess as Hyomin expected. She helped Sunny to her bed then grabbed a pillow from Jiyeon’s bed and settled down on the floor.

 

    “Hyomin there is enough room for you. You don’t have to sleep on the floor.” Sunny mumbled sleepily.

 

    “I can’t. You stay there don’t worry about me. I’ll make sure no one bothers you.” Hyomin pulled Sunny’s phone out of her pocket and sent a mass text to her members before shutting it off completely.

 

     _“Sunny-ah I love you, I really do.” Daesung grinned drunkenly._

 

_“I know muffin. Sit still so I can patch you up.” Sunny smiled down at him always amused to see Daesung intoxicated. She quickly finished stitching up the deep gash on the left side of his abdomen, he had been lucky the knife didn’t hit anything major._

 

_“Is it really true Sunny? Is this really happening? Am I going to-” Daesung was cut off by a hand covering his mouth._

 

_“Shh, you’re talking nonsense.” She replaced her hand with her lips for a quick peck. She straightened up to take a look around the little cabin they were hiding out in. It was only her, Daesung, a table and half a bottle of scotch. Old blankets were piled in an old box she contemplated getting them out in case they need to endure a cold winters night where they were but the need to continue moving was getting the best of her._

 

_“Do you think you can walk?” She whispered to Daesung laying on the table._

 

_“Sure.” He slurred attempting to sit up cringing at the pain in his abdomen._

 

_“Forget it. Let me help you down we can hold out here.” She helped him get off the table and into the floor, “Can you aim a gun decently?”_

 

_“Maybe in a little while. I need to sober up first.”_

 

_“I agree. I’ll keep watch while you rest up first.”_

 

     _Daesung grinned and reached for her hand but she stepped out of his reach to sneak a peek out one of the three windows in the tiny cabin. She felt bad about constantly turning him down when he wanted to express his feelings toward the situation they were in but she couldn’t let him say it out loud. It makes it more real if it’s said out loud. How she was going to hide another secret from her members and potentially Tom Gordon was going to be hard. She was slapping Daesung’s hand off her leg when the crunching of earth outside stilled all movement. She slowly pulled her gun out of the back of her pants as Daesung slowly reached for his own. she switched off the safety and took aim at the front door._

 

_Daesung saw light reflect off metal at the window furthest from both of them and immediately fired his weapon. Sunny toppled over the table and used it as cover for the onslaught of bullets that were fired at them. She didn’t know how many people were shooting at them, she was also aware that the table was accumulating many holes already._

 

_“Daesung we’ve got to get out of here or we’re going to be killed.” She reloaded her gun and began shooting at the window once again, “Got any ideas?”_

 

_“Yeah, through the front door, I’ll cover your back while you cover mine, run like hell.”_

 

_“You’re crazy when you are drunk, you know that?”_

 

_“On 3?”_

 

_“1.”_

 

_“2.”_

 

_“...3.”_

 

_BANG BANG BANG_

 

Sunny jerked up from the bed in a cold sweat and instinctively placed her hand under the pillow she had slid her gun under while she slept, leaving it in her pants was just plain uncomfortable. Hyomin was no longer on the floor but casting her a tired glance from Jiyeon’s bed.

 

    “Hyomin?” Sunny called out softly.

 

    “Did you have a bad dream?” Hyomin answered closing her eyes once again.

 

    “Daesung keeps trying to tell me something in my memories but I keep cutting him off. He is proud of whatever it is but I have a feeling like it is something that would have caused a great amount of stress. Do you know what it was?”

 

    “Not at all. Believe it or not, the two of you kept really good secrets. If anyone would know it would have to be Cho since you both trusted him.” Hyomin rolled onto her side facing the wall, “Something I’ll never understand is that loyalty and trust the three of you share.”

 

    “Why is that?” Sunny looked at her back confused at her answer, “Does he not look after everyone?”

 

    “Not the way he looks after you. Maybe you can tell me one day.”

 

    “Just ask Cho himself.”

 

    “I did.” Hyomin exhaled loudly, “Go back to sleep Sunny. It’s not going to be this quiet when Soyeon and Eunjung get back.”


	12. Sorting Friends from Enemies

    Sooyoung paced in the bathroom very concerned about Sunny’s complete disappearance. While the other members were busy preparing she had rushed the stylists to allow her slip into the bathroom. She was turning into a melting pot of emotions with each call she made to Sunny’s phone, anger, sadness, fear, confusion, all merging together and building up her already skyrocketing stress level. After fifteen minutes she forced herself to return to the dressing room. She took the time to look at each of the girls in the vanity mirror as the stylists began working on her makeup once more. Tiffany was giving the bravest face, constantly trying to smile and liven up the room as the rest just seemed downright miserable with worry. This made Sooyoung glad she was the only one that somewhat knew about Sunny’s secret side job. There was a chorus of ringing and vibrating as each of their phones went off almost in unison. Relief filled the air in the form of a collective sigh.

 

    'Hi, this is T-Ara’s Hyomin~ Sunny spent the night with me. Please don’t worry about her too much! I’ll look after her well and will have her home before 10pm I promise~'

 

    A picture of Sunny seemingly sleeping on a messy bed following the message brought a smile to Sooyoung’s face. Everything was truly alright. She put on the designer clothes and joined Yoona in front of the camera ready for their photo shoot. It was past midnight before Sooyoung got home exhausted from a full schedule, but still eager to see Sunny. She peeked into her own room before peeking’s into Taeyeon’s and let out a soft sigh of relief.

 

    “When did she come home?” Sooyoung whispered.

 

    “Hyoyeon said she was already here with Hyomin and Eunjung when she got home around nine.” Taeyeon reached over and slapped Sunny’s shoulder, “She’s just playing a game you _can_ talk to her yourself.”

 

    “Oh? You two finally made up?” Sooyoung cocked her head to the side grinning happily.

 

    “Something like that.” Sunny answered without looking up from her Nintendo, “I really forgot how much I love playing this thing.”

 

    “We all had to give up a lot to take on such insane schedules. Don’t get to used to playing it.” Taeyeon said with a little attitude, “Yah hurry up and save your game so we can turn out the lights. You should go to bed too Sooyoung.”

 

Sunny shut the game off but quickly picked up her phone when it lit up with a text.

 

    'Have I missed anything?'

 

She was surprised to receive a text from Daesoon so late at night and hastily punched in a reply.

 

    'Not much, I’ve met a new friend is all. What have you been up to? I miss you.'

 

    'Oh you know busy with trainee stuff> His reply was almost instant.

 

    'Let’s get together soon. I need to confirm something with you.'

 

    'Okay just tell me when you are free.'

 

    “Turn it off.” Taeyeon mumbled annoyance still painfully clear.

 

    Sunny used her free time the following day to visit the leader of Big Bang at YG’s studio. She was careful when asking if any of the other members would be there. She knew Seunghyun had the strongest ties with Daesung and herself but she wasn’t ready to confront him again, not after remembering how he treated her. Jiyong met her outside of the building to let her in and walk her to the studio he was using for the day.

 

    “You want to know about the day of the accident? Why?” Jiyong cringed a little not wanting to talk about it.

 

    “So I can understand what happened, maybe it will help me remember what happened.” Sunny set a hand on his knee, “Start from that morning, was he acting weird?”

 

    “He was different that morning. He was sad, I could see it in his eyes. He made breakfast for everyone and told us how much he had grown because he was a part of Big Bang. Before he left to pick you up he said magnae could have one of his collectible figurines. It was like he was expecting the crash to happen. You were very similar from what I heard from Kwon Yuri.” Jiyong crossed his arms as he waited for Sunny’s reaction. She merely sat back in her chair and stared at the microphone in the sound booth in front of them both, “What were the two of you doing? Was the wreck planned? Because it sure seems like that now that I think about it.”

 

    “It wasn’t. It really couldn’t have been. We had so many plans, killing ourselves wasn’t something we wanted. There has to be something else, some other reason.” She sat up straight suddenly, “Oh.”

 

    “Oh?”

 

    “I know now. That was the day we were going to...and that happened. Those bastards.” Sunny stood up, bowed to Jiyong then rushed out of the building calling Hyomin as she went, “Hyomin-ah I think someone was trying to kill us.”

 

    “Are you sure?” Hyomin asked curious how she reached this revelation, “Was it the kidnapping or the gunfire that tipped you off?”

 

    “Not that, I meant Daesung and I.”

 

    “Are you sure? Do you have proof?”

 

    “I don’t have proof yet but I know for a fact it wasn’t an accident.”

 

    “How can I help?”

 

    “We need to find out more from inside Fractal. You’ve got more connections than me if you could ask around. I would start with the jerk that started those rumors.”

 

    “Consider it done.” Hyomin hung up hastily her manager was calling impatiently.

 

    “Sunny-ah!” Jiyong suddenly emerged from the building angrily running toward her, “Where are you going?”

 

    “Something has come up. I’m sorry Jiyong but I need to go.” She felt her phone vibrating in her hand and glanced at the screen for a second, “I know this is very sudden. I promise to make it up to you.”

 

    “I’m responsible for you until your manager or whatever staff member deemed responsible enough for the task comes to get you. If you are leaving then I am going with you, otherwise, you are going to follow me back inside. Every time you would run off with Daesung one or both of you would come back worse for wear. I promised him I would watch over you, protect you if anything ever happened to him.” He paused to catch his breath, “Sunny I can’t let you leave.”

 

    “It’s a nice sentiment, but I can take care of myself.” She was quick to move away when he grabbed for her hand.

 

    “Let’s talk inside I can see some reporters pulling up.” He reached for her arm again, this time it found purchase on her sleeve. She let him take her inside once more if only to put him at ease until she could make another shot at escaping. Once she was back in the same rolling chair in front of the sound booth she knew she wasn’t going to be able to get away quietly. She sat silently fiddling with her phone trying to come up with a plan and a message popped up from Daesoon.

 

    'Are you mad at me?'

 

    'No, why?' She replied sending a glare to Jiyong for trying to peek at her phone.

 

    'Just the way you’ve been acting is all. I’m just worried about you.'

 

    'I’m just being cautious. Did you know I was kidnapped a couple days ago?'

 

    'I didn’t know. How did that happen?'

 

    'They knocked me out from behind. You didn’t tip them off? You aren’t a part of those idiots, are you? They knew things Daesoon. Things that we talked about that no one else should know.'

 

    'Of course not!!! I’m not a traitor. I would never give your secrets away, please believe me.'

 

    'Say that to me personally and then I will be able to judge whether or not you are to be trusted. I want to trust you but it is just too big of a coincidence.'

 

    'I understand let’s have lunch at the usual place, is 1:30 good for you?'

 

    'Yes'

 

    “Sunny…” His voice trailed off before he was even able to begin with a tone resembling sadness and frustration.

 

    “Did he ever tell you anything? Plans or anything?” She put her phone away and gave him her attention once more.

 

    “No, Daesung kept to himself for the most part unless he was talking about you.”

 

    “9:30 at Kwangju Station.”

 

    “What?”

 

    “Never mind. Is it just the two of us today right? No other visitors?” She asked wishing her driver would hurry up.

 

    “Youngbae might pop in if he gets bored otherwise yeah it’s just us.”

 

    “Just making sure.”

 

    “Why? Who do you not want to show up?”

 

    Sunny shrugged, “I’d rather not meet up with Seunghyun today is all.”

 

    “Has he-” Jiyong started to ask cautiously knowing how his hyung treats Sunny. This was the one thing he kept from Yuri throughout all their years of friendship because of the shame he felt when he learned about it.

 

    “No, not yet. Don’t worry.” She squirmed in the chair a little uncomfortable talking about Seunghyun for the first time with Jiyong, “Did Daesung know too?”

 

    “He knew and they fought about it a lot. I did what I could to keep him at bay when you were in the apartment without Daesung, I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.” Jiyong got up and sat down on the couch in the back of the room he motioned with his hand for her to join him. She hesitated a moment before joining him.

 

    "I told him I remember fighting with him but not anything else, so I think he is holding back. That or he doesn't see me as something to peruse now that Daesung isn't around." She leaned into his open arms seeking a little comfort, "He asked me about...about a baby."

 

    "Seunghyun?" Jiyong seemed taken back by her statement but not completely shocked by it, "I don't think you should give it much thought. He hasn't fathered any children."

 

    "The thing is I did have sex with him once." She felt Jiyong tense up, "I was under the influence and he took advantage of me."

 

    "Under the influence of what?" Jiyong's anger clearly came across to Sunny's ears.

 

     "Weed probably and a little alcohol. I barely remember it but I remember the guilt I felt when I came off that high very clearly." She closed her eyes trying to remember more but nothing came to her, "I'm telling you this because I feel like this event is the beginning of everything and that someone tried to kill Daesung and me.”

 

    "That's a pretty serious statement. If you have proof you should take it to the police, considering you were just under house arrest because of that gang going after your group they could give extra protection. Do you have proof Sunny?"

 

    "Not yet. Nothing they would be able to use at least. I need more time to remember." 

 

    The studio door opened surprising both of them when Yuri strolled in carrying a lunch box with a smile on her face. That smile turned into a knowing smirk when her eyes fell on how the pair were sitting on the couch.

 

    "Come on we've got to film for Invincible Youth." Yuri swung the lunch box out in front of her, "I packed you some food."

 

    Sunny let go of Jiyong then bowed politely to him before following Yuri to their waiting van. She dismissed all of Yuri’s questions about her relationship with Jiyong. Sunny enjoyed going to film at that old farmhouse, she loved the fact that she now owned the majority of a cow but she wouldn’t admit that to anyone, not yet anyway. As soon as they arrived Sunny tossed her bag into the cast’s changing room then skipped over to her cow.

 

    “Pooreumie how are you doing today?” She cooed happily, “Have you eaten yet?”

 

     The large cow simply chewed her cud listening to the soothing voice quietly talking to her. Sunny smoothed the fur from the top of her head to her nose. Hyomin joined her some minutes later sneaking up beside Sunny careful not to get too close the cow.

 

    “What happened earlier today?” Hyomin said nearly in a whisper.

 

    “If I tell you this you must take it to the grave with you. No one else can know.” Sunny stared at her with an intensity that sent a chill down Hyomin’s spine.

 

    “I promise.”

 

    “We were leaving Korea that day. Running away from Fractal, our fame, our families. Someone must have found out and a mark was issued for us, I’m sure, just like Jinho.” Sunny watched Hyomin for a moment in silence. The taller woman’s eyes gave away the frantic thoughts going on in her head, “Daesung and I had been planning it for an entire year. We bought a house, plane tickets and said our goodbyes. Some parts of the plan are still a little fuzzy. Did you find out anything?”

 

    “I haven’t had time. I’ll be on it first thing after filming ends.” Hyomin felt like a huge burden had been put on her shoulders suddenly, “So you trust me now?”

 

    “If Cho trusts you then I will, but if you betray my trust there will be no coming back from it.”

 

    “Do you know how big this is? You were trying to leave?! Did you really think you would get away with it?” Hyomin’s voice rose a pitch.

 

    “Yes, we did at the time. Cho would have told me, he would have warned me if there was a mark out of us right? Perhaps it was someone else? Like the attack on me a while ago.”

 

    “I don’t even know where to start.” Hyomin massaged her temples while she paused to think, “This place is safe, they can’t spy on us here, but this is huge. I don’t think it was a mark because someone is still after you Sunny.”

 

    “You’re right, right, right. Shit what do we do?”

 

    “Calm down Soonkyu.” Hyomin put a hand on Sunny’s shoulder and gently pulled her around to walk back to the production staff, “I’ll think of something.”

 

    “Easy for you to say.” Sunny shrugged off her hand not at all convinced, “It’s not your life that's at stake. I’m not afraid to kill anymore, the guilt will always hang over my shoulders, but I will do what I must even if it means taking my own life.”

 

    “It won’t come to that. Don’t ever say that again.” Hyomin snaked a hand into Sunny’s chilled one, “You are not alone...Sunny there is uh something you should really know so you have to stay alive long enough to hear it.”

 

    “What is it? Just tell me now.”

 

    “Now is not the right time. Stay alive and you will know.”

 

    “If it were important you would just say it.”

 

    “If I had my way I would have slapped you already.” Hyomin squeezed her hand, “Instead I can only hope you won’t push me over the edge with your ignorance. Cho wants to tell you when things have settled.”

 

    “You keep getting bolder and bolder.” Sunny paused when Narsha’s giant pigtails swung into view, Hyuna wasn’t far behind her, “What are you two doing?”

 

    “I could ask you the same.” Hyuna quipped raising a brow and wagging her index finger.

 

    “Hyomin is keeping secrets from me, unnie.” Sunny pouted, starting to get into character for the show, which was bound to start soon.

 

    “It can’t be anything decent, she’s too much of a rookie to know any of the juicy stuff yet.” Narsha shrugged, “The PD sent us the get you guys, we’re having a meeting before filming starts.”

 

    Hyomin let go of Sunny’s hand suppressing her anger at the shorter girl, “It’s a very serious matter, something you don’t deserve in my opinion. The last thing Daesung left behind.”

 

    “Why argue when it’s up to Cho to tell me?” Sunny glared up at Hyomin.

 

    “Cut it out guys.”Narsha interceded by stepping in between them, “Play nice or I’ll be forced to make sure you muck out the chicken coop before you leave today.”

 

    Sunny maneuvered herself back to Hyomin’s side and took her hand once again. She rested her head on Hyomin’s arm as they walked together. She felt a chuckle come out of Hyomin and knew she was getting back on the taller woman’s good side.

 

    “Tell me after the show. I promise I will act surprised when Cho tells me.”

 

    “You will have to be outright shocked to the core shortie. I was myself when I found out...You really were an amazing woman Sunny. I wish that accident never happened.”

 

    “Were an amazing woman.” Sunny let the words roll off her tongue slowly, “I’ve gotten better haven’t I?”

 

    “You still have a long way to go.”


	13. My Child

    Yuri couldn’t understand why Sunny would want to stay five more minutes after filming had finished. Normally they would race to the waiting van, not wanting to spend a second longer awake or on their feet. Impatiently Yuri watched Sunny walk to the back of the main building, she quickly entered knowing she would be able to hear the conversation from the thin back wall. She sat down and put her ear on the wall.

 

    “Spit it out already Hyomin. What is so important that it’s got you all pissed at me?” Sunny growled under her breath.

 

    “Cho just texted me.” Hyomin paused for a moment, “He has set up a meeting for you before the filming of your new show starts to meet someone Daesung was very proud of that you have yet to remember.”

 

    “So this is what has been making you so mad?” Sunny scoffed, “It’s not like I’m not trying Hyomin.”

 

    “Everything will be different after this meeting. You will have to try even harder.”

 

    Yuri pulled away from the wall too confused to keep listening in on the conversation. She slowly stood up and quietly returned to the waiting van wondering why she wasted her time. By the time Sunny got into the van Yuri was already sleeping soundly with her sponsored headphones covering her ears. Sunny leaned toward their manager in the front seat to ask him a question quietly.

 

    “Oppa, when do we start filming that our new show?”

 

    “In a few weeks, but first we have meetings with the directors and you know how it goes. They rented a nice little apartment for the film site, that much I know.” He replied thoughtfully.

 

    “What kind of show is it?”

 

    “I’ll let the directors explain it. I don’t want to spoil the fun.”

 

    "You're no fun oppa."

 

    "Fun isn't in my job description." He chuckled.

 

     Sunny sat back in her seat and closed her eyes it was going to be a long ride home and the morning was coming fast. It wasn't long before sleep took over.

 

     _Sunny looked over at the woman sleeping beside her on the ground. She had been with Fractal all her life and Sunny was having a hard time imagining why a family would want to do that to their children. They had been stuck on the side of this mountain for two days now and Sunny's initial assessment of Hyomin's survival skills were above what she was expecting. Most higher level agents didn't do what Sunny considered the dirty work, they didn't kill anyone. Honestly speaking she wasn't sure what exactly Hyomin did in Fractal, but she wouldn't ask either._

 

_The smell of smoke wafted to her nose and Sunny knew a team they were competing against was close by. She nudged Hyomin's shoulder lightly to wake her up, they wouldn't be sleeping tonight, there was work to do. They quietly crept through the trees getting closer and closer to the camp fire. Hyomin reached out to hold Sunny back having a bad feeling when the woods suddenly grew quiet, not a bird nor a squirrel made a sound. Sunny nodded her head and they retreated cautiously._

 

_"It is a trap." Hyomin whispered, "None of our guys are stupid enough to give away their position like that."_

 

_"Thank you, captain obvious." Sunny sarcastically replied, "Let's just move up the mountain."_

 

_"If you knew then why did you try to go over there?"_

 

     _"I was going to try to take them out. Besides, I've yet to see you pull out your weapon or even raise a fist. Can you fight?"_

_"Our goal is not to take out the others. I can fight, you can't be in this company and not know how to fight, but don't count on me to run head first into one." Hyomin sighed, "Let's win this without violence."_

 

_"It will be seen as cowardly. I was sent to this exercise because I wouldn't pull the trigger and kill one of my marks. I have to win Hyomin or it will be my final failure." Sunny slowed her pace._

 

_"We can win. What I normally do is research and intelligence gathering for the high profile marks and I take care of the...agents who think they can sell information for police immunity. I know how to survive Soonkyu this game was made for me, so please trust me when I say we can win. I already know which weapons they are testing out here. Our goal isn't to beat the others. It is to survive these weapons, expose the flaws."_

 

     _"Alright but we can't hide forever we will have to make a move against them."_

_Hyomin stopped moving as a thought struck her, "Have you checked for bugs yet?"_

 

_"No, they have eyes everywhere it isn't going to make a difference." Hyomin nodded in agreement and continued to follow Sunny, "What do you know about the men we are against?"_

 

_"Nothing, I don't recognize any of them." Hyomin fell quiet for a while as she felt a little overwhelmed working this closely with an idol she truly admired._

 

     _They hiked around the mountain for as long as they had the energy to walk. Sunny found a place to rest in a cave burrowed in the side of a rock. It was hard to see at first glance being covered by overgrown bushes. It was Sunny's turn to sleep so Hyomin stayed up on lookout duty. She was comforted by the sounds of the woods, most importantly the birds chirping. The second it goes quiet she knows danger is near._

_"Soonkyu." Hyomin whispered leaning back on the rock, "I'll get you back to Daesung alive."_

 

"Sunny" Yuri called out annoyingly in Sunny's ear, "We are home, wake up."

 

    Sunny slowly opened her eyes and got to her feet. She took Yuri's hand and leaned her head on Yuri's arm when they got into the elevator in the lobby. Yuri didn't think anything of it until she heard a little sniffle.

 

    "You okay?" Yuri asked.

 

    "I miss him." Sunny mumbled.

 

    Yuri pulled the smaller woman into a hug and kissed the top of her head. It was the best comfort she could give. Sunny had composed herself by the time the elevator dinged on their floor. She walked into the apartment as if nothing had happened she wanted to find a place to hide for a while. Tiffany watched Sunny wonder around the apartment, she picked up her phone to send a text to Yuri.

 

    'What’s up with Sunny?'

 

    'She’s missing Daesung and she was at ends with Hyomin today. Nothing to be worried about.' Yuri replied a couple minutes later.

 

    'I think she’s getting ready to pull a disappearing act.' Tiffany observed. Yuri came out of Sooyoung’s room with a long sigh only to lean on the doorpost and stare directly at Tiffany. After a minute of glare exchanges, she took a look around the room but Sunny was nowhere in sight.

 

    “Look what you did!” Tiffany closed the lid on her laptop and rubbed her face with her right hand. She was pouting when she looked back up at Yuri, “Why was she fighting with Hyomin?”

 

    “Narsha said she was complaining about secrets being kept from her. I think it has something to do with Daesung or something he left behind from what I gathered. Just ask Hyomin yourself. I’m going to bed now.”

 

    “Has she been taking her medication? I haven’t seen her take anything in the last two weeks.” Tiffany asked regardless.

 

    “Ask the manager in charge of making sure she does.” Yuri disappeared into the darkness of her room and closed the door.

 

     Tiffany stayed up against her better judgment to clean and in doing so also search for Sunny. She heard the smaller sister every so often as if she was rudely awoken, a bang, a groan, sometimes a quiet whine as if she were about to cry. It wasn’t until the sun had risen that she saw Sunny walking to the bathroom sleepily. Tiffany headed to the opposite bathroom to begin her morning routine disappointed in herself for not being able to find her.

 

Neither girl had slept all night.

 

    The sense of her nightmares stayed with Sunny throughout the morning and she went out onto the balcony for a little air, hoping it would clear her head. She had not been standing more than a few minutes when her tallest sister came out of the apartment, a phone and a bowl of rice in her hands. Sooyoung greeted her warmly and joined her in leaning on the railing, talking idly of the messy state of the apartment, the movie she'd seen earlier in the week, the state of demand in their schedules now that they could be booked once more. But the thought of the dream would not leave her.

 

    "Have I ever said anything about being injured?" Sunny asked suddenly on impulse, Sooyoung looked surprised but answered without hesitation.

 

    "Yes, on occasion." She added with an uneasy half smile, "Why?"

 

    "A bad dream. Terrible pain." Sunny admitted, "Daesung looking down from above me, pale in the face, scared shitless..." She trailed off, seeing Sooyoung's face, "It was like nothing I've ever felt, is there anything you can think of?”

 

    "Your recent head injury is honestly the worse I have ever seen you. Most of your injuries were cuts, and bruises that even Tiffany wouldn't have taken a second glance at. Like I have said before I only covered for you. I am not involved in your second job." She glanced at Sunny, a glint in her eye, "You always managed well enough if there was something more serious."

 

    "I see." Her mouth tightened a little, "It kept me up all night. I really just want to figure out what it was so I can sleep peacefully."

 

    She smiled at Sunny with great affection, "Come on let's get dressed, I'm sure it will come to you at some point today."

 

     All nine members piled into the van awaiting them outside the lobby doors. Sooyoung took a seat between Sunny and Yoona in the back and let Sunny lean on her as she attempted to sleep once more. It was going to be a thirty-minute ride to the salon then twenty more to the first schedule. It wasn’t long before Sooyoung noticed Sunny was amidst another painful dream. The smaller girl's nails were digging into her arm and the way she was breathing worried Sooyoung a little. Yoona looked over to see what was happening, ready to save Sunny from her dream.

 

    "Is she alright?" Yoona asked quietly.

 

     "She's been having bad dreams. I don't know if I should wake her up or let her work through it." Sooyoung replied. Hyoyeon reached over the seat not able to deal with the painful sounds any longer. She put a hand on Sunny's shoulder and just as she was about to gently shake it Sunny's eyes shot open and a loud gasp escaped from deep within her.

 

    "Oh my God. Oh my God." She repeated as tears welled in her eyes.

 

    Hyoyeon had fallen back in her seat scared to death by her sudden awakening. Sooyoung and Yoona were trying figure out what had happened as Sunny clung to Sooyoung desperately.

 

    "What happened? You can tell me." Sooyoung coaxed, "Was it the same dream?"

 

    "Sooyoung...Sooyoung I...I had a baby." Sunny whispered, "I had a baby. A baby boy."

 

    "What!?" Sooyoung shouted, "It's not possible we would know if you had. Are you sure?"

 

     "I gave him away, but we were going to take him with us to Europe. Sooyoung my baby, how could I forget my baby?" Sunny was in tears at this point, head buried in Sooyoung's arm.

 

     "You've got to be mistaken. We would have known, there is no way you could have hidden that from us." Sooyoung tried to argue.

 

    "I am so not kidding right now. Sooyoung-ah how could I forget my own child?"

 

    "What's going on?" Yoona asked listening to the conversation in slight shock.

 

    "I'm a terrible person." Sunny sobbed loudly enough to catch the attention of the rest of the girls once again.

 

    “Fany-ah I think you might have to go alone today.” Yoona said worrying over Sunny.

 

    “Tiffany is asleep.” Taeyeon leaned over the seat as much as she could to try to see what was happening, “What’s going on back there? Is Sunny okay?”

 

    “I’m not sure, she had a bad dream about a baby.” Yoona said straining to hear what Sunny and Sooyoung were whispering about.

 

    “Sooyoung you need to think. Did I go home for any extended period of time? Or maybe I avoided everyone but stayed in the apartment. It happened. This really happened. I’ve got to find him, I’m going to make a call.” Sunny frantically got her phone out of her bag and punched in Cho’s phone number.

 

    He answered after three rings, “Yes, Soonkyu.”

 

    “Where is my baby?” She sobbed.

 

    “Oh dear.” He cleared his throat, “I’ll see if I can bump up our meeting with him. Call me when you finish your normal schedule.” He hung up quickly to begin making another set of calls.

 

    Sunny managed to be cheery for the television show she attended with Tiffany then took off in a taxi as soon as it was over, barely acknowledging their angry manager behind her. She didn’t go to Fractal to meet up with Cho, instead she went back home to meet with someone in the parking lot. He was sitting on her motorcycle looking it over in a bored manner with a coffee cup in each hand. A peace offering she assumed.

 

    "You son of a bitch!" Sunny yelled at him as she stormed through the parking lot, "You knew and you didn't tell me!”

 

    Seunghyun's laughter echoed throughout the lot, "That's the Sunny I know. What was I keeping to myself?"

 

    "That baby hint you slid to me after I bumped my head. If you know something about my child you better fess up." She angrily took the coffee he silently offered and sipped the hot liquid. She planned on throwing it on him before this was over.

 

    "Our child. If it was our child, I want to do my part in taking care of it. That's all I was trying to get at when I asked you about it." He smiled into his own coffee watching her with great interest.

 

    "It wasn't your child it was Daesung's baby boy. I remember having a paternity test done because of you."

 

    "Good for him, I'm proud of Daesung. Look I'm around if you need any help raising him, a fatherly figure so to say."

 

    "I don't want your help Seunghyun. I remember how you treated me in the past and it is not something I will let you do going forward. You’re the worst kind of scum.” Her speech slurred as she said scum and she assumed it was because of the fury burning inside her.

 

    “Did I ever treat you poorly? We had nothing but fun together. I lit a fire in you that Daesung couldn't satisfy and I am not going to say I'm sorry for the love we made." He slid off the bike and advanced towards Sunny until he was in her personal space. He looked into her dilated eyes and leaned down to lay a kiss on her plump lips quickly. She swung her fist at him narrowly missing the tip of his nose.

 

    "You're still the forbidden fruit so to say, but I sincerely want to help you. Do you remember the night we spent together? It's still the best sex I've ever had Sunny-ah." He smiled at her as she tried to step away from him only to stumbled back into a cement column.

 

    "It's not going to happen again if that's what you are thinking." She rolled her eyes at his pouting lips and was very confused as to why she now had the motor skills of a drunk. She dropped the coffee in her hand suddenly and clenched it into a fist, “What was in that coffee?”

 

    “A few shots of espresso, a little soy milk and a small drop of something to relax you. How do you feel Sunny?” He blocked her only escape route and stepped even closer to her leaning one hand against the column above her head.

 

    "I hate you-" Sunny was cut off as he pressed their lips together roughly stealing another kiss.

 

    “Let’s just go upstairs and have one last romp under the sheet. Just to get it out of our system.” He quickly dodged a slap. 

 

    The next few moments happened faster than Sunny’s drugged mind could process what was going on. She could see Daesoon standing to the side fuming with anger and Junhyung standing over Seunghyun who was now holding his bloodied nose. She was frozen in place watching it all unfold before her.

 

    “I thought we told you to stay the hell away.” Junhyung threatened to hit him one more time, “Get out of here.”

 

    “Why are you here?” Sunny looked at them confused.

 

    “I was coming to check up on you. I heard about the kidnapping and wanted to make sure you were safe.” Junhyung said once Seunghyun left cursing under his breath.

 

    “I met him on the way in. We ran over when we saw Seunghyun trying to kiss you.” Daesoon added, “Why was he even here?”

 

    “You shouldn’t have hit him. I was the one that called him here.” Sunny frowned, “I needed to get some information out of him…he is still up to his old tricks.”

 

    “What information could you possibly need from him?” Junhyung asked disgusted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He noticed her dilated pupils and the way her hands were shaking before she shoved them into her jean pockets.

 

    “The personal kind.”

 

    “Did you still want to talk to me? Or is there a better time for me to stop by?” Daesoon asked worriedly.

 

    “I have to meet with Cho now.” Sunny began walking into the building to grab her helmet, “I’ll call you guys later.”

 

    “Don’t bother! You know next time I see that bastard with you I’m just going to let him have his way with you.” Junhyung shouted to her back.

 

    Sunny didn’t waste any time getting to the location Cho instructed her to go. She knew he would ask why she was late, and hoped she would be able to get away with the usual excuses. It was a residence she had never been to before and wondered briefly if this was another of his safe houses for when someone needed to lay low. It was in a strange part of town, far too many families settled in this area for that sort of thing. She entered the modest house cautiously. She found him sitting at the kitchen table and was startled at the couple sitting with him when she saw the fear in their eyes. Her eyes eventually settled on the small boy in the woman’s arms.

 

    “Is that?” She hesitated suddenly feeling her heart in her throat.

 

    “Take a seat Soonkyu.” Cho calmly motioned to the chair beside him and continued after she followed his order, “This is Jo Hyunki and Insun they have been taking care of Kyungsan.”

 

    “Kyungsan.” She breathed, “He’s so big.”

 

    “He’s nearly three now.” Hyunki spoke up with a slight tremble in his voice, “We wanted to pass on our condolences for your loss.”

 

    Sunny couldn’t keep herself from staring at her son she couldn’t tell of it was because of the drug in her coffee or just pure fascination. She was initially scared he would be an exact small replica of herself or Daesung, whose resemblance would be noticed by anyone who saw them together. But Kyungsan’s round face and curious eyes bore not the slightest resemblance to her own, not yet at least. His eyes were larger than Daesung’s and something like relief washed through her. He was lifted off Insun’s lap and set down on Sunny’s quivering legs. He looked up at her curiously and she wondered if he knew who she was.

 

    “Kyungsan-ah say hello to your mother.” Cho coaxed cutely.

 

    “You arranged for us to be on that new show together?” She glanced at Cho long enough to see him nod, “Thank you. Who else knows about him?”

 

    “Mr. King and your father know.”

 

    “My father?” She gasped wide-eyed and suddenly felt faint.

 

    “Don’t worry, he visits nearly every day. He wanted to take Kyungsan after the accident, but Cho wouldn’t allow it until you were better.” Insun added quietly, “We are thankful for the opportunity to take care of him this long.”

 

    Sunny held Kyungsan closer to her bosom when he began to wiggle free of her tight grip. A frustrated grunt escaped his lips in turn causing her heart to burn in her chest and she let him down to play in the floor reluctantly.

 

    “I will have to tell my sisters and mother will be so angry with me. We weren’t even married yet.” Sunny looked to Cho for advice, “Can you help me do this? I have to take responsibility for him, I want to be in his life.”

 

    “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You aren’t fully recovered yet Sunny.”

 

    “I’m healthy enough to take care my own child. I shouldn’t burden these people like I have.”

 

    “Trust me Sunny. It’s not yet the time to do this, but soon, very soon we will make this happen. For now, I will bring you or your father can bring you to spend time with Kyungsan.” Cho’s maternal contentment touched his face for an instant, he was proud of her no doubt for not running away from such a hard realization.

 

    “Can you bring him over tonight for just a couple of hours?” She pleaded.

 

    “Do you really think they are ready to know?” Cho gave her skeptical look.

 

    “No, but now is as good a time as any. They will be more understanding if it happens sooner rather than later. In case something happens, you know.” He caught on to her hint and nodded in agreement.

 

    After an hour of playing with Kyungsan Sunny was forced to leave by a call from her manager, asking where on earth she was. Cho escorted her to her motorcycle and kissed the top of her head in a quick goodbye. Her burning heart had settled now replaced with the nervousness of explaining herself to everyone tonight.

 

     The clock struck eleven when Cho called the apartment to notify Sunny of his arrival. She ran to the lobby to escort him back up to their messy home. He held the sleeping Kyungsan against his left shoulder and simply waited at the shoe rack for Sunny to gather everyone in the living room. He handed over Kyungsan as softly as possible not wanting to wake him up.

 

    “Everyone I want you to meet someone. His name is Kyungsan and please don’t be angry with me for keeping him from you for so long.” She looked at the wall above all of their heads, “And he is my son. Daesung and I were planning on telling you together.”

 

    Their silence scared her, their shocked stares scared her even more. It wasn’t the response she was expecting and she almost allowed her knees to give out as a wave of depression washed over her. Sooyoung was the first to smile and embrace the pair where they stood.

 

    “How in the world did you hide this from us?” Seohyun pondered as she got up to examine the child.

 

    “We gave him to a more capable family, but my father has been trying to gain custody. I really felt you all should meet him before the show starts.” Sunny let Hyoyeon hold Kyungsan’s sleeping form knowing she loved children more than any of them combined, “I was scared you would all be cross at me.”

 

    “We are plenty mad, don’t get that wrong.” Taeyeon spoke up for the first time, “How old is he?”

 

    “Two.”

 

    “He is very adorable Sunny.” Yuri grinned from ear to ear.

 

     Tiffany was the only member still sitting on the floor watching the child cautiously. Her eyes darted to the man at the door then to Sunny and back to the huddle of girls fighting over who would hold Kyungsan next. Sunny joined her on the floor and let her take hold of her hand softly.

 

    “What happened? How did this happen?” Tiffany questioned looking her directly in the eye.

 

    “It’s a long story. We did want to get married you know, regardless of the baby.” Sunny looked at her socked feet, “It’s hard for me to admit the truth about all this. But I cheated on him with another group member, got scared and went straight to Daesung. We had sex...it was intentional. I don’t know how I hid the pregnancy from you all. It couldn’t have been easy.”

 

    “Whose baby is it?” Tiffany gave a stern disapproving look.

 

    “Daesung’s don’t worry.” Sunny smiled for an instant before she became serious once more, “I’m really sorry. I know how much this must disappoint you, we should have gotten married first.”

 

    “You’re not thinking about moving him in here are you?” Tiffany nearly read Sunny’s mind and she knew it by the look of astonishment on Sunny’s face, “Sunny we don’t have time to raise a child. He should go back to the people that have been raising him. I know he is yours, I know you feel like you need to get involved but you can’t...we can’t.”

 

    “He is my child. How can I just ignore that?” Sunny’s face began to redden in anger at her friend’s words.

 

    “I’m not asking you to ignore it.” Tiffany reached out and took Sunny’s other hand, “I’m asking you to think about the group. I’m asking you to take it slow, you are not in a position to be able to take care of the child. You can barely take care of yourself.”

 

    “Fine, look I just brought him over so no one would be shocked during the filming of our new show. We will all be working with him. Do you think we look alike?” Sunny changed the subject in an attempt to calm herself.

 

    “Maybe a little. If you’re asking if the public will connect the dots I highly doubt it.”

 

    “Soonkyu.” Cho called out from the door tapping his watch.

 

    “Oh right.” Sunny stood up and walked over to take her child, she hugged him tightly before carrying him over to Cho reluctantly, “Zachariah King knows about him...is he really safe?”

 

    “He couldn’t be in better hands, trust me, I helped the two of you pick out this family. Mr. King has no interest in Kyungsan, he isn’t old enough to be a threat.”

 

    “Be safe.” Sunny bowed respectfully.

 

    “Goodnight Soonkyu.” He kissed the top of her head in goodbye.

 

    She turned around as soon as the front door closed behind his back to face all of her member’s curious eyes. She stood still as stone waiting for the questions she was sure would spill from their mouths. Tiffany and Sooyoung stepped forward, the taller of the two embracing Sunny as the other quietly let the others know they would be working with Kyungsan during a show very soon.

 

    “When you figure out how you did it will you tell me?” Sooyoung joked into Sunny’s ear, “Go on to bed you look horrible. It looks like Tiffany is handling the rest.”

 

    “Thank you.”


	14. Freestyle

    Yuri looked at her cell phone and scrolled through her list of recent text messages. Most of them were reminders to eat or to be ready at a certain time for interviews. She had been waiting for a reply from Jiyong ever since she texted him about the baby early that morning. She didn’t know if he had been aware of the child all this time and had never told her. She had been racking her brain trying to figure out how Sunny hid the pregnancy from them, no one had suspected a thing. Yoona and Seohyun had been making the most progress with their theories on how she did it. Yuri turned around in her seat and glanced out over the rest of the van. Tiffany and Taeyeon were talking quietly and Sooyoung was trying to sleep beside the chatty Hyoyeon and Yoona. 

 

    “Hey guys should we be worried?” Yuri asked just loud enough to get their attention. She wasn’t sure how she should feel, she wanted to be happy for Sunny but she was also scared for her. So many things were being revealed about the smaller member that they would never have imagined.

 

    “I think it’s okay for you to be worried unnie. There is nothing wrong with that, I think she is just as scared as we are.” Seohyun replied softly.

 

    “I think Hyomin knew about the kid. She was arguing with Sunny the last time we filmed together. How could she have known before us?” Yuri pouted, “How was it even possible for her to hide something like that?”

 

    “Well, Seohyun and I worked out a three-month period when we remembered not seeing Sunny at all. She was busier than anyone remember?” Yoona quickly brought up.

 

    “That’s not enough time, she would have needed about nine months.” Sooyoung grumbled sleepily.

 

    “It could have been her final three months. She was sick for the longest time then suddenly we hardly ever saw her until she disappeared for those three months. Without the actual schedule from three years ago we can’t actually prove what she was doing.” Seohyun explained her current theory.

 

    “We don’t keep schedule records that far back.” The driver added feeling he was bound to be probed for this question sooner or later, “What is all this fuss about? I’ve been hearing the same fuss for two days now. What trouble has Sunny gotten herself into?”

 

    “Nothing you need to worry about oppa. It’s a girl only thing, you understand?” Tiffany sweetly answered.

 

    He made a low noise in the back of his throat somewhat disapproving of her answer, “Would you tell us if it was serious?”

 

    “Without hesitation.” Seohyun agreed nodding her head as well, “I think we have proved that to you already.”

 

    He made another noise then returned his full attention back to the road. Yuri relaxed a little in her seat and began to fiddle with her phone once again. Jiyong had finally replied to her text.

 

    'I can’t say I’m not entirely surprised. She already mentioned something about a baby to me once. Seunghyun came to her about it first.'

 

    'Seunghyun? Choi or Lee?'

 

    'Choi.'

 

    'More secrets to uncover about this little boy...great. Sunny said he is Daesung’s kid.'

 

    'I guess we will know for sure when he grows more.'

 

    'She had blood work done, we know for sure.'

 

    'How are you handling it?'

 

    'Frustrated and a little scared. There are still a lot of secrets yet to be told I think.'

 

    'Let’s meet for lunch one day I have something I think you should know as well.'

 

    'Sure thing. TTYL'

 

    The week went on with all the members painfully aware of Sunny’s exhausted appearance. No one could bring themselves to say anything about it to her. They all knew as soon as she completed the little schedules she was assigned the rest of her time was spent with Kyungsan, or so they assumed. It was all Yuri could think about as she waited for Jiyong to show up for their lunch date. She didn’t notice when he finally arrived more than twenty minutes later.

 

    “Sorry, I’m late.” He said as he pulled a chair out to sit down.

 

    “I have plenty of time today.” Yuri leaned on her elbows over the table to take a sip of her drink, “I heard you are going to Japan today.”

 

    “We don’t leave until later tonight.” He sighed a little and waited for his food to be called up before he said anything more, “I wanted to confess something to you.”

 

    “More secrets?” She paled a little thinking that she knew her best friend better.

 

    “Something I’ve known about Sunny and Seunghyun that I have been too ashamed to talk about.” He saw her perk up, “When Daesung was alive Seunghyun took advantage of Sunny when she was inebriated and was constantly making advances on her behind Daesung’s back. I did what I could but I wasn’t always able to be around.”

 

    “Jiyong.” Yuri was more wide-eyed now as his name escaped her shocked lips.

 

    “Sunny held her own pretty well. She didn’t stand up for any of it, be sure of that.” He avoided her gaze by taking a large bite out of his sandwich and chewed it slowly.

 

    “We let him watch over her alone when she injured the back of her head. Oh Jiyong, don’t be ashamed to tell me these things.” Yuri panicked a little then remembered Tiffany finding Junhyung watching over Sunny at the end of that day instead of Seunghyun, “Do you think Seunghyun will do it again?”

 

    “No, at least I hope not anyway.” Jiyong shrugged, “Will you tell me if you notice anything or overhear anything?”

 

    “Of course, I would. Oppa, did you really have to ask?” Yuri grinned for the first time that morning then continued sipping her drink her mood slowly growing dimmer, “I overheard something none of the other girls know yet. I’ll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone.”

 

    “I promise.” Jiyong nodded along enthusiastically.

 

    “I overheard someone telling Sunny that she might not be able to gain custody of her son.”

 

    “Do you think that is why she is spending so much time with him now? She wants to make every second count.” Jiyong reached out for Yuri’s hand resting beside her cup and gave it a squeeze, “Poor girl just can’t catch a break.”

 

    Yuri pulled back from his reach, trying to control her emotions, “They got into an argument and the man said she didn’t even want the baby the entire time she was pregnant but Daesung loved it so much. He said she is getting what she deserves, that she is a terrible person. Like he knew something about her, like a horrible secret because Sunny didn’t reply after that she just hung her head and took it. I walked away before he finished his rant, I was so mad.”

 

    “Did you see the guy?” Jiyong stared at her hard.

 

    “No. Not clearly.”

 

    “Look on the bright side she has eight supportive sisters she can fall back on. Try to be more positive for her, show her that guy’s words are wrong.”

 

    “I’m worried for her, oppa. She hid the entire pregnancy from us. How the hell she even did that is a mystery.”

 

    “Then trust her and maybe she will open up about all of this.”

 

    Yuri smiled again and the pair began to eat their meals quietly as Yuri gazed out the window by their table absent-mindedly. The traffic was very light for this time of day so nothing really caught Yuri’s eye until she saw a well-dressed man running for all he was worth. She prodded Jiyong with the end of her chopstick to make sure he didn’t miss any of the action. A smaller hooded figure was chasing after the man with great determination. Yuri watched with a bit of amusement until she saw the hooded figure pull out a gun and shoot the man in cold blood. The rest of the restaurant was now crowding around the windows making a ruckus but Yuri was holding her breath trying to catch a glimpse of the hooded figure’s face as it was now running in the opposite direction. Yuri’s eyes met with the killer’s eyes for a split second and she felt her heart drop into her stomach. She caught a glimpse of a smirk and the killer was gone.

 

    “I hope you didn’t have anything to do later. When the police and the reporters get here it’s gonna be hard to leave.” Jiyong groaned foreseeing his stylist or Taeyang packing for him.

 

    Yuri nodded her head silently trying to convince herself that the hooded figure was not someone she recognized. It was a couple of hours before the police were satisfied with their statements and they were allowed to leave the area. Jiyong rushed home with barely a goodbye to Yuri. It was Jessica that had picked her up in her personal car just to have some time all to herself.

 

    “I saw on the news, it must have been awful to see someone shot down.” Jessica said quietly.

 

    “It was very shocking to say the least. First Sooyoung and now me...how many murders do we need to witness?” Yuri kept her eyes out the window not sure how much she should actually say, “I think I saw the killer’s face before she ran away. I might have been imagining it though.”

 

    “She? You recognized the killer?” Jessica asked surprised at this confession.

 

    “I thought I saw Sunny, but there is no way it could have been her.”

 

    “You’re right, she’s been with Sooyoung and Yoona all day in Mokdong.” Jessica heard Yuri let out a breath of relief and chuckled to herself, “How was your date with Jiyong? Other than the killer end.”

 

    Yuri rolled her eyes dramatically, “It was good, I got a lot off my chest and learned a little more about Sunny.”

 

    “Sounds interesting, please share.”

 

    “Maybe later, I just wanna take long, hot bath then go to bed and forget all about this day.”

 

    Sooyoung was doing the laundry with Yoona and Taeyeon when the two girls arrived home. The fragrant scent of fabric softener and clean laundry helped relax the whole apartment. Sunny was the first person Yuri spotted and tactfully avoided eye contact with her on her way to the bathroom. Sunny let out the breath she had been holding and leaned back in her chair at the kitchen table. Her phone vibrated as a message popped up onto the screen.

 

    'You’re crazy you know that.' Junhyung complained.

 

    'What took you so long?' Sunny replied with a scowl.

 

    'Never do that ever again! Understand.'

 

    “Whatever.” She grumbled quietly, “I didn’t have a choice.”

 

    Sunny hastily turned off her phone and stared at the bathroom door. She clenched the phone hard trying not to throw it at the wall in a fit of anger. She searched her pockets for a moment and found them empty, cursing under her breath she grabbed her coat and slipped on her shoes. She hadn’t planned on Yuri being in Hongdae and hoped her alibi with Sooyoung and Yoona help up. She needed to clear her head.

 

    “I’m going out!” Sunny shouted as she headed for the door.

 

    “Where are you go-“ Taeyeon started to ask when the front door slammed shut cutting her off. She turned to Sooyoung expectantly.

 

    “Don’t ask me.” Sooyoung shrugged.

 

    Sunny drove to Fractal and grabbed a couple boxes of ammo before entering the shooting range. She couldn’t think of a better way to release her frustration and anger. She ignored the surprised looks she received from a few of the men already in the range and picked up her weapon, loaded the clip, turned off safety then took aim.

 

    “Soonkyu.” Hyomin shouted over the sound of gunfire, “What are you doing?”

 

    “What does it look like I’m doing?” Sunny popped off three rounds.

 

    “You were seen today by so many people. This is not the right way to be handling your situation.”

 

    “Do you have information for me? If you don’t I suggest you leave.” Sunny set the gun down carefully and turned to Hyomin trying to steady her shaking hands with clenched fists. She could have killed for a smoke but needed to keep up her facade.

 

    “Yeah I do actually but we can’t talk here.”

 

    Sunny made Hyomin wait until she had finished her target practice. She was still worked up as they walked down the hall and into a quiet room. Hyomin’s name was on one of the desks in the room, it had a neat pile of papers resting on top of a large blueprint.

 

    “I shouldn’t be surprised you have an office. Sucks you have to share it.” Sunny sat down in one of the leather chairs in front of Hyomin’s desk.

 

    “Funny you said that the first time you met me here. I don’t share it I have two desks…” Hyomin looked embarrassed as she leaned against the desk, “I’ve figured out who started the rumors and have put an end to it. I also have reason to believe a contact might be on the trail of your kidnapper.”

 

    “An inside job do you think?” Sunny inquired happy to hear there was progress.

 

    “I should hope not. That would mean Mr. King is allowing this to happen.” Hyomin crossed her arms deep in thought, “I’ve been told the radio signal is a dead end but my contact said something that rubbed me the wrong way.”

 

    “Out with it then.”

 

    “It might be nothing at all, but Jinho’s name came up more than once in our conversation.”

 

    “You think a dead man kidnapped me?” Sunny asked with a stony expression.

 

    “Of course not. I had just begun to wonder who made the killing blow that night?”

 

    “Is it not in the report? It’s not really something I care to remember.” Sunny said not convincing Hyomin it was the whole truth.

 

    “I don’t have access.”

 

    “I know the look of a dead man. It’s not something you can fake, the emptiness that fills your eyes and the amount of blood that was soaked through my clothes. Trust me he was dead.” Sunny shivered at the vivid memory. That night really made her question why she had put up with Fractal for so many years.

 

    “I understand Sunny but he is somehow connected with this.” Hyomin ran a frustrated hand through her hair, “I did some digging on his family and it’s very possible one of this family members could be involved or if he survived somehow. I don’t have much but hear me out.”

 

Hyomin grabbed a folder off her desk and opened it up she skimmed the first page of information verifying it was the right one before handing it to Sunny.

 

    “Jinho has a sister. She was in a mental hospital in Russia until two years ago. We don’t know how close she was to Jinho or if she is even in Korea at this time, but it’s a start.”

 

    “It’s a start.” Sunny agreed, “Are we done now?”

 

    “Not yet, I have a warning for you. The next time you kill a target so openly Mr. King will get involved personally.”

 

    “Is he not involved already? You may not agree with me but I do know what I am doing.”

 

    “You see that’s why I don’t think you truly understand. Do you remember when you first started working for Mr. King? All of us had to take an oath of discretion if that oath is violated terrible things will happen. Sunny you have been through enough punishments by now you should know better. Cho can’t save you from Mr. King.”

 

    “Don’t underestimate me Hyomin. I don’t have anything else to lose.”


	15. Blood On Leaves

Ruthless.

 

_The word swam through Sunny’s head each time she was forced under the water up to her shoulders. Large hands held her against all protest she was able to manage. These hands belonged to none other than Zachariah King, the ruthless head of Fractal Inc. She gasped for air as he pulled her head up out of the water for the third time, she was unsure she would last much more of this torture._

 

_“Please…stop.” She gasped for air as if it was going to be her last._

 

_“Do you think you should go unpunished for your disobedience? Convince me Soonkyu.” He let her sink into the floor beside the tub of water in the middle of his office while he walked over to his desk to lean against the expensive wood._

 

_“What are my crimes? Not completing an impossible mark? I, sir, did my best and it was not enough for you. I have worked to be nothing but perfection at my job for over three years. Is this one failure worth such torture?” She had her eyes closed as she said this, bracing herself for another round in the icy water._

 

_“Had you taken Cho’s advice and not left the city you would not have failed. Being in Jeju when you knew you would have a time sensitive mark in the Kangwon province. This is your own doing Soonkyu, you made this decision all on your own.”_

 

_“I did not have a choice sir!”_

 

_“Where does your loyalty lie? Because you have proven it certainly is not with Fractal.” His voice rose causing her to flinch, “This will be the last warning I will give you.”_

 

_She heard him walk across the hardwood floor and did not struggle when he picked her off the ground. Her head was submerged before she thought to take a quick breath. She passed out before he pulled her out and left her on the floor to come to on her own. He was not surprised to see Cho had sent a young trainee to retrieve her, Cho had always favorited her._

 

_It was a good thirty minutes before Sunny woke up wrapped in a towel in Cho’s office. She was leaning against the wall and one of his filing cabinets and slowly rose to her feet wondering how she had gotten there._

 

_“It’s good to see you didn’t die.” Cho said over the paperwork he was reading over, “How are you feeling?”_

 

_“Well enough.” She bowed respectfully and started to fold the towel up ready to leave the building._

 

_“I’ve arranged for you to be driven home by one of my best. I can’t have you getting into an accident on that death trap you call a motorcycle after going through such punishment.”_

 

_“As long as you have my bike in it’s hiding spot before sundown I will accept the offer.”_

 

_“What offer?” He raised a brow humoring her, “That was an order.”_

 

_“He tried to drown me not beat me so I can drive myself home. I’m completely okay.” Sunny set the towel on his desk and made for the door as quickly as she could without running. She made a bee-line for her motorcycle and took off down the street, she had one person in mind, Daesung. Pulling into the parking lot for the YG building she typed his security code into the front door and let herself in._

 

_“Fancy meeting you here.” Seunghyun called out seeing her in the hallway, “We’re in the third-floor studio. Are you alright?”_

 

_Sunny ignored him and continued toward the elevator, she didn’t have time for his games. Daesung was sitting with Jiyong and Seungri listening to Youngbae record when she entered the room. Her appearance must have been worse than she thought as all three boys looked very worried._

 

_“Sunny!” Daesung jumped up and embraced her tightly, “What happened?”_

 

_“Zachariah King punished me personally. I really thought I was going to die.” She whispered in his ear, “I really need you right now.”_

 

_“I’m here sweetie, I’m here.” He let her go long enough to take her hands and guide her out of the studio and down to the cafeteria, “What did he do?”_

 

_“Held me under water.” She rested her head on his chest pulling him into another hug, “We’re going to have to choose at some point or we are going to be killed. Zachariah King has made it clear he wants our full attention by giving us marks we cannot fulfill with our busy schedules. I swear he enjoys punishing us.”_

 

_“We just need to endure a little longer. Then we will finally be able to live in peace.”_

 

_“I need a smoke can we find a balcony?” Sunny let him go to began digging in her jacket pockets and sniffling back her tears._

 

_“Follow me.”_

 

_Sooyoung didn’t say anything when Daesung brought Sunny home. She could see her bloodshot eyes and still smell the sweet smelling smoke on her clothes. She felt a strange tension in the air and briefly wondered what Sunny had been up to before she felt the need to get high. Luckily the apartment was nearly empty with only Yuri and Hyoyeon resting in their rooms._

 

_“Did something happen?” Sooyoung asked quietly to the shorter member._

 

_“Nothing you should be concerned about.” Sunny grumbled starting to undress slowly on her way to her room._

 

_“It concerns me when you come home like this Sunny.” Sooyoung followed behind her beginning to get annoyed with every step taken. She almost ran into Sunny when the smaller girl suddenly stopped and turned on her heel throwing her jacket down at her feet._

 

_"Do you really want to know Soo? Is it worth your life to know what happened to me today?"_

 

_"What are you going to do, kill me?" Sooyoung took a step forward and looked down at Sunny egging her on. Sunny's eyes became intense and she pulled up the end of her shirt revealing the handle of a long, skinny knife attached to her belt, "Is that supposed to scare me?"_

 

_"No, I would never kill one of you. But I swear if you don't stop putting your nose in my business I have no reservations about spilling a little blood."_

 

_"We'll have this conversation again when you aren't high." Sooyoung backed away with a huff of disbelief._

 

_Sunny stopped shedding her clothes and stepped out on the balcony to light up another blunt. She slinked down against the rail and began to silently cry._

 

    “Soonkyu, Soonkyu wake up.” A singsongy voice roused Sunny from her sleep, “Wake up Soonkyu.”

 

    “Don’t call me that. Where am I?” Sunny sat up groggily not recognizing where she was.

 

    Sunny found herself sitting at a table, hands chained to the cheap chair she had been slumped over in. A young woman sat across from her calmly watching with a smug grin. She vaguely recognized the restaurant they were in and knew it had been condemned years ago.

 

    “What is this?” Sunny ordered testing the length of her chains.

 

    “I can’t have you escaping death again now can I?” Her grin faded into a deadly stare, “That’s where you killed my brother, remember?”

 

    “Your brother? Bitch do you know how many people I have killed? I have no idea who you are talking about.” The woman slapped Sunny across the cheek as hard as she could, “Like that’s going to help.”

 

    “Jinho, Baek Jinho!” The woman yelled furiously.

 

    Sunny kept silent as the woman across from her calmed down. She was very average looking but her eyes gave away the crazy that had sent her to the mental hospitals throughout her life. Sunny looked around the room for the gun she had begun to carry on her person at all times, it was sitting on a pile of dirty clothes across the room. It appeared the woman had been living in this building for a while.

 

    “If you want revenge then get on with it.” Sunny closed her eyes deciding to meditate instead of getting worked up about her situation. If she was going to escape she would need to start working on a plan, “We made it quick for your brother you might as well have the same courtesy for me.”

 

    “Daesung got that courtesy. You are going to suffer like I have and there is no one left to save you this time.”

 

    “You are aware of my celebrity status, right? As soon as I’m late for a gig everyone will me looking for me.”

 

    “Don’t flatter yourself. I’ve been planning this for years.” She clenched her hands into fists then hit Sunny again this time drawing blood from her nose. Sunny took a few more hard hits before she passed out. The woman rubbed her sore knuckles then left the room silently, spitting on the floor by Sunny’s feet as she walked out.

 

     _Sooyoung grabbed Sunny by her shirt collar and dragged her into the stairwell of the apartment building before Sunny could react to the assault she was silenced by a hand over her mouth. She stared into Sooyoung’s hardened eyes with a matching glare then quickly turned the tables on her tall friend. In a matter of seconds her arm was twisted around her back and she was pressed uncomfortably into the wall face first._

 

_“I am not in the mood for your attitude today.” Sunny warned with a hard shove as she let go of Sooyoung._

 

_“Well, I’m not going to tolerate you being high on Television.” Sooyoung retorted, “We could all smell it idiot.”_

 

_“Can you prove it was me? Do I smell like weed now?” Sunny tried not to shout due to her anger._

 

_“As a matter of fact yes, it’s still lingering. We all went to public school we know what it smells like, and you frickin’ threatened to cut me yesterday.”_

 

_“Well, I thought I was going to die yesterday, okay? I was kinda in shock okay. I need you to lay off it for a while."_

 

_Sooyoung’s expression changed from anger to shock, “Seriously?”_

 

_“Leave me alone Sooyoung.” Sunny left the stairwell, quickly took the elevator to the private garage and started up her motorcycle. She drove around the block a few times before deciding to stop at a small street vendor for some soju._

 

_“Alcohol I’ve missed you.” Sunny mumbled into her bottle._

 

_She sat alone on the sidewalk drinking bottle after bottle worrying about when she will get another mark. They would be going overseas soon and Zachariah King liked to test her loyalty. She looked around and smiled at a group of teenagers that were staring at her, probably fans she thought. Her location would be all over SNS soon so she got up and began to walk down the street, there was a park not far from here where she could have a little more privacy. She sat down in the grass to enjoy her bottle of soju for a few more moments._

 

_“Mind if I join you sweetheart?” Daesung sat down beside her with a young man following at his heels, “Oh uh this is Jungyup he is a trainee. We’ve got a new mentoring program the Boss wants us to pilot. Just pretend he’s not here.”_

 

_“I’m glad we don’t do stuff like that. It would drive me insane.” Sunny smiled and passed him the last bottle so he could have a sip, “Jungyup rule number one is don’t get drunk on Tuesdays. There are always meetings on Tuesdays, all other days are fair game.”_

 

_“Don’t teach him things like that.” Daesung scolded, “I asked your Uncle Cho where you were. I wanted to see how you are after everything that happened yesterday.”_

 

_“Jungyup if I give you some money will you go buy a couple more bottles of this soju?” Sunny pushed her money into his hand before he could respond and looked at him expectantly until he left, “No I’m not okay. I hate this company and I hate Mr. King for playing with my life.”_

 

_“What do you want to do about it?”_

 

_“Let’s be the ones who get away. That will suffice.” Sunny was quiet until Jungyup returned and handed her a wet, green bottle._

 

_“What number is that Sunshine?” Daesung asked taking the other bottle from the trainee._

 

_“five?” Sunny smiled as she took a sip, “Don’t worry I’ll sober up before driving home.”_

 

_“Don’t bother I’ll drive.” Daesung looked at the trainee, “Do you have a license?”_

 

_“No sir.” He responded shyly._

 

_“I’m assuming you know your way around public transportation? Take yourself back to the studio and shadow Seungri for a while. I’m going to take Sunny home.”_

 

_“Yes, sir.”_

 

_“Such an obedient child. Let him train a few more years and he will become more rebellious.” Sunny stood up and began walking back to her motorcycle holding Daesung’s hand tightly. He stopped her mid-stride to kiss her cheek._

 

_“We have a job to do before you can go home. Do you think you can do it?” Daesung looked in her eyes trying to judge her intoxication level._

 

_“I can still aim my gun if that’s what you are worried about. What’s the mark?”_

 

    It was dark and a chill sent gooseflesh rippling down Sunny’s arms. She slowly opened her eyes a few hours later and noticed the table had been moved across the room and now held many tools. Instinct kicked in and she started struggling against her chains frantically. Escape was inching further and further away in Sunny’s mind.

 

    “They called me Helena during my time in Russia.” The woman grinned as Sunny froze, “When I was transferred there they did not translate my name properly in the paperwork. I’ve taken a liking to it.”

 

    “Did you find out who ratted out your brother? Daesung and I were trying to give him time to get away. He was last on our list that night so we took our time getting to him. We did not want to kill him you must believe me.” Sunny started pulling on her chains again, slower this time more controlled.

 

    “All that matters is that you killed him. You had a choice and you chose wrong.”

 

    “I chose my life over his and now I’m going to lose it anyway. Do you know how many times I should have died already?” Sunny went limp giving up on the thought that she had used cheap materials to bind her, “Get it over with.”

 

    “I told you already I’m going to take my time with you. Scream as loud as you want no one is coming for you.” Helena picked up the brass knuckles on the table and walked over to Sunny.

 

     Inside the dance studio well across town, Sooyoung looked down at her watch then at the other members in the room. She hadn’t seen Sunny since the night before and it was beginning to worry her. Currently Sunny was thirty minutes late for practice putting them behind in today's schedule already.

 

    “Has anyone heard from Sunny?” Sooyoung asked the room loudly.

 

    “Not yet.” Hyoyeon responded, “I’ve sent her a few texts.”

 

    “Same here.” Tiffany agreed.

 

    “What should we do?” Jessica asked with a yawn.

 

    “We’ll have to start without her.” Seohyun shook her head disappointed in her unnies, “Let one of our managers deal with it.”

 

    Sooyoung couldn’t just let it go and sent a simple text to Junhyung before lining up.

 

    'Sunny is missing.'

 

     Junhyung looked at his phone then darted out of his apartment leaving his songwriting for another time. He overlooked the fact that Sooyoung may know more than she should, he would confront Sunny about it once she was found. He reached out to Cho as soon as he got to Fractal.

 

    “I need to know Sunny’s last known location. She’s not answering her phone, and she hasn’t been seen all day.” Junhyung demanded urgently.

 

    “I’ll make a call. I want you to bring Park Sunyoung down here.” Cho picked up the phone and started dialing, “Now Junhyung.”

 

    He hit the wall in frustration as he left the office and ran for the elevators. Junhyung didn’t like the pencil pushers on the upper floors and couldn’t see what resources she would have that Cho didn’t have access to. He threw open the door to her office and found Hyomin bent over a map on her desk.

 

    “We need you in Cho’s office pronto.” He grabbed her elbow and dragged her out of the room.

 

    “What’s happened?” She asked struggling to keep up.

 

    “Sunny’s missing.”

 

    “What do you know so far?” She instantly picked up her pace feeling the urgency in his voice.

 

    “Nothing. I’ve got Cho trying to find her last known location.”

 

    “I know she was in the shooting range last night then I had a conversation with her in my office. I don’t remember what time she finally went home.”

 

    “What kind of business do you have with Sunny?” He looked at her accusingly.

 

    “If you haven’t already been briefed then it’s none of your business.”

 

    “I’m her partner if her disappearance is because of whatever you have her involved in I will hold you personally responsible.”

 

    “I’m not afraid of you Yong Junhyung.” Hyomin pushed herself around Junhyung and enter Cho’s office first, “What do you need me to do Cho?”

 

    The cold air in the restaurant was really getting under Sunny’s skin. She was shivering uncontrollably causing more pain to her fresh wounds. Blood was flowing freely from her nose and a gash on her upper arm. Her wrists were bruised from constant pressure against the cuffs chaining her to the chair. This was just the beginning.

 

    “Is that all you have? I’ve been punished by Fractal for years now, this is nothing compared to what I have had to endure.” Sunny glared into the dark corner Helena was resting in. The morning light filtering through the blinds did little to brighten the room.

 

    “One day at a time Soonkyu. Your death is going to be slow and painful.” Helena responded playing with a lighter, “It must have been hard to curb your addiction when you got pregnant. You must tell me how you did it.”

 

    “There is a saying it’s not the drug that makes a drug addict, it is the need to escape reality.” Sunny sighed not seeing the point in this line of small talk.

 

    “Did you know Tom Gordon is the one supplying the drugs? That is what my brother was going to take to the police.” Helena lit a blunt as she crossed the room, inhaled the smoke then blew it out in Sunny’s face.

 

    “You kidnaped me once already why didn’t you kill me then? Why go through all that trouble?” Sunny questioned trying to move her face out of the way of the smoke.

 

    “That was just a test. Now enough chit chat I want to hear you scream.”


	16. Helena

    Freezing water hit Sunny in the face soaking her to the bone and causing her to gasp awake. Helena stood over her for the fourth day straight with blood stained clothes and a darkness in her eyes that scared Sunny now more than ever. She was losing hope in escaping this prison. It was getting increasingly harder for her to keep conscious during her daily physical and mental beatings. She stopped fighting against it and succumbed to the darkness many times losing herself to a reprieve only for a minute or two. 

 

    “I want to kill you.” Helena spoke almost conversationally from her seat on across from Sunny, “It would mean my brother’s soul could finally rest. Your death will signify a new beginning, a world with of one less Fractal Agent. I want to kill you Sunny, but seeing you suffer like this brings me too much joy.”

 

    “He would be ashamed of you.” Sunny managed to grunt out then braced for Helena’s unmerciful fist. 

 

    She remained tensed until she heard the sound of an electronic shutter and she opened her eyes to glance at Helena. She held Sunny’s cell phone up examining the photo she had just taken then turned the screen around so Sunny could see exactly how poor her condition really was. It was dried blood and bruises and she prayed Helena would delete the picture immediately.

 

    “Who do you think would be more shocked to see this?” She smiled as she scrolled idly through the contact list.

 

    “I-I have a son.” Sunny choked on her next words and Helena quickly cut her off.

 

    “Yes, but your son does not know you. _You_ are the one who should be ashamed. All he will know is a mother that did not want him so that she could continue her career as an idol singer.”

 

    “When I die he will know me and when he gets old enough be my revenge upon you. Regardless a mark will be put out on you and your death will be guaranteed!” Helena lashed out when she heard this sending Sunny into unconsciousness.

 

    Sunny could hear a loud beeping in the distance and the sudden frantic movements of Helena grabbing her tools off the table. Her throat was too dry to allow her to call out for help let alone keep her eyes open any longer than a second at a time.

 

    “Hey, Sunny wake up.” She heard a whisper in her ear, “We have to hurry.”

 

    Sunny managed to squint her eyes open, “Daesoon? Help me.”

 

    Her heart skipped a beat as she tried to focus her vision on him but couldn’t locate him in the room. A light tapping on the large window behind her brought her spirits back down.

 

    “The key is on the table. Come on scoot the chair I can’t distract her forever.” He instructed through the window.

 

    “I can’t.” She shook her head defeated, “I don’t have the strength.”

 

    “If you don’t try you will die.”

 

    Sunny summoned what will power she could muster and started scooting the chair slowly across the room. The chair toppled over just as she reached the table leaving her pinned under it awkwardly. She grunted under the weight and used her remaining strength to roll onto her side.

 

    “Daesoon! I can’t do it!” She shouted hoping he was still close enough to hear her. She began to cry silently, slowly accepting her fate and the darkness consuming her mind.

 

    “Another step closer and I’ll kill her!” Helena screamed almost tripping over Sunny’s limp body in her rush back into the room. Junhyung was on her heels, pistol in one hand and a combat knife in the other.

 

    “I can shoot you three times before you are able to reach for her throat. Give it up you monster.” He aimed for her heart carefully. Hyomin was protecting the medical staff behind him and nagging him on to finish the job quickly.

 

    “Monster? Sounds to me like the pot calling the kettle black.” Helena reached down and pulled Sunny’s head up by her hair exposing her throat.

 

BANG BANG

 

    Two shots rang through the air terrifying Sunny out of her stupor and into a panic attack. The medical staff rushed in to remove Helena’s body from on top of Sunny then carefully carried Sunny to the waiting ambulance.

 

    “Don’t give up on us Sunny.” Hyomin whispered, “We’re taking you to the Fractal medical building. You’re safe now.”

 

    “Let her rest.” Junhyung ordered, " Are you going to tell me how this relates to you and Sunny?"

 

    "We were investigating Daesung's death and her kidnapping. This woman is Jinho's sister we had only just started looking into her."

 

    “So you were also involved in her kidnapping? It seems to me like you are putting her in danger's way.” He watched Hyomin roll her eyes and it fueled his fire even more, “Why are you withholding information like this from me?”

 

    “Sunny and I are partners just as much as you are, and I’m not the one sending her out on marks. We are gathering information and that is all.”

 

    “Partners my ass. Your job is to weed out and terminate traitors.”

 

    “Noted and ignored. I do not have to explain myself or my orders to you.”

 

     Junhyung and Hyomin bickered and argued until Sunny was rushed into the medical center. Hyomin wanted to notify Sunny’s family, her group or company that Sunny was finally safe and sound but she couldn’t. No one could know what had happened or even visit Fractal’s Medical Center, too much would be at risk.

 

    “Since there is nothing left to do but wait for her recovery follow me back to Fractal and let’s talk about what Sunny and I are working on.” Hyomin said against her better judgment.

 

    “I’d rather eat a slug. Send me an email, I have a schedule to keep.” He left the waiting room swiftly. 

 

    His phone buzzed with a text containing an address, it wasn’t in his nature to disobey his superior and sped to a hole-in-the-wall herbal tea shop. He entered quietly and was escorted to a table in the back. Zachariah King had his legs stretched out and his eyes closed as he inhaled the sweet, floral fragrance of his black tea. Junhyung joined him on the floor and asked for a glass of water. He waited silently for Zachariah to address him.

 

    “Report.”

 

    “I found her tied to a chair having been beaten by the older sister of the traitor Jinho. How she knew Sunny had killed her brother will remain a mystery, I shot her twice. Sunny is currently in the care of Fractal’s doctors, Sir.” Junhyung sipped his water and slouched his shoulders.

 

    “Is that all?”

 

    “Park Sunyoung says she was looking into Sunny’s first kidnapping and this sister was on the top of her suspect list. Possibly Daesung’s death is on her hands as well.”

 

    “What are you holding back from me Junhyung? I can sense it in your voice.”

 

    “I wanted to investigate it more before coming to you sir. When Sunny went missing a certain friend contacted me about it.”

 

    “You think she knows more than she should?” Zachariah’s interest was peaked.

 

    “Perhaps sir, that is until Sunny has recovered enough to speak about it. If I may ask I would like to know what her true business with Sunyoung is."

 

    "I'm only sorting the truth from fiction. It's nothing you need to worry about.” 

 

    Hyomin stayed by Sunny’s side waiting for her to recover from her ordeal. By now Cho had given a false report to Sunny’s management team regarding her sudden lengthy absence. She slouched sleepily in the armchair beside Sunny’s bed. She didn’t bother getting up to greet Tom Gordon when he entered the room grim as ever. He tossed a black bag on a table near the door then leaned against the only window in the room.

 

    “Did you know about Jinho’s sister?” Hyomin asked sharply.

 

    “We knew of her but she wasn’t a threat while she was in Russia. If you are asking did we foresee her finding out who her brother’s killer was, then no we did not.” He did not appreciate Hyomin’s attitude towards him but let it slide nonetheless, “Have you learned anything about the accident?”

 

    “We won’t know anything more until Sunny tells us what happened. I have a feeling Helena wanted revenge and when Sunny didn’t die in that car accident she came after her personally.”

 

    “Have you found any base for the rumors we spoke about earlier?”

 

    “No.” Hyomin had to carefully keep her expression blank if she was caught lying to Tom her punishment would be harsh, “What’s in the bag?”

 

    “Yogurt, do you want one? I figured she would want something nice when she feels up to it.” He pulled out his phone and began thumbing through his messages.

 

    “No thank you.” Hyomin glanced at her phone it was blowing up with messages from her management team, it was time to go.

 

    “Don’t worry Hyomin I won’t harm a hair on her head.” He smirked knowingly.

 

    “It’s her neck I’m worried about.” Hyomin had the final word as she left the hospital room.

 

    “Lee Soonkyu you have been nothing but trouble since that accident.” Tom Gordon grumbled under his breath, “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

 

    “Are you going to kill me now?” Sunny asked weakly with her eyes still closed.

 

    “If I wanted you dead I would not have let Cho save you from that psychopath. What happened to you?” Tom made his way to the side of her bed and looked her over curiously.

 

    “She beat me if you couldn’t tell.”

 

    “Don’t be a smart-ass Soonkyu.”

 

    “She told me Daesung had a quick death like her brother but she wanted me to suffer like she did. Do you need a blow by blow of every hit? Or Are you perhaps here to torture me further? Have I disappointed Mr. King by getting captured on my way home?”

 

    “Calm down Soonkyu. She is dead, do not worry about her anymore.” He reached down and smoothed the hair off her forehead. He did not miss her flinch or the strength it took her not to shrink back away from his touch.

 

    “She knew about you. Jinho must have told her.”

 

    “Rest now. No one will hurt you anymore.” He sat down in the armchair beside the bed and pulled his phone out once more to compose a message to his partner.

 

    The apartment had been quiet since the news about Sunny’s hospitalization had been revealed. The group as a whole was shocked to hear that they couldn’t even visit her, let alone know which hospital she was in. The vagueness of the situation had Sooyoung on edge and Taeyeon could feel it radiating off her. Yuri, Tiffany, and Taeyeon were sitting in Taeyeon’s room chatting like normal when Tiffany perked up like she just remembered something important.

 

    “Guys now is our chance to find out what is going through her head.” Tiffany whispered unnecessarily, “She must have a diary hidden around somewhere.”

 

    “I don’t know if that is a good idea.” Taeyeon frowned.

 

    “I agree, it's too invasive.” Yuri fell flat on the bed and yawned, “It’s none of our business.”

 

    “Then I’ll read it by myself.” Tiffany stuck out her tongue and started to carefully go through Sunny’s underwear drawer. She slowly made her way to the closet and her eyes immediately fell on the box of Daesung’s things. She slowly pulled open the folded flaps and took a quick look inside.

 

    “Oh…my…guys am I really seeing this?” Tiffany stood up and dragged the box into the middle of the room. All three of them stared at the pistol half hidden by a dirt smeared shirt.

 

    “You see this is exactly why I didn’t want to snoop. Ignorance is bliss.” Taeyeon ran a hand through her hair frustratedly, “We can ask her about it when she comes home. Until then let's try not to think about it.”

 

    “Sooyoung might know.” Yuri said already texting the woman in question to come to the bedroom.

 

    They all waited in silence for Sooyoung just staring at the box as if waiting for it to explode into a hail of bullets. The taller woman sauntered into the room lazily not happy about being torn away from her weekly drama. Her eyes landed on the open box and hoped they didn’t see her flinch, they were snooping into things that could get them killed.

 

    “What are you doing going through Sunny’s private things?” Sooyoung said in an accusatory tone.

 

    “There is a gun in there Soo. Why is she hiding a gun?” Tiffany quickly defended herself.

 

    “She bought that after I was attacked in case the police couldn’t get to us in time. She must have forgotten she had it, otherwise I don’t see a reason why she would keep it.” Sooyoung lied without hesitation and quickly started to close the top of the box and push it back into the closet, “You shouldn’t snoop. Just ask Sunny if you want something from her.”

 

    “You can’t just put it back in the closet we need to get that out of the apartment. I am not comfortable having that gun around. I don’t like it.” Yuri’s eyes were wide with worry and reached out to stop Sooyoung.

 

    “Deal with it until Sunny comes home. This is her property if she has a permit for the gun she has the right to have it.”

 

    “We don’t even know when that will be.” Yuri whined selfishly, “We don’t even know what is wrong with her or where she is.”

 

    “I guess it’s a good thing you aren’t roommates anymore then.” She turned her attention to the leader, “Taeyeon, if you aren’t comfortable with it either I can put the box in my room.”

 

    “Just leave it where it is and keep this on the down low, we can’t have it leaked to the press.” Taeyeon groaned inwardly, “I need a vacation.”

 

    “Seriously?” Yuri threw her hands up defeated.

 

    “Seriously, stop snooping.”Sooyoung pointed at Tiffany then tried to leave the room so she could finish her drama. 

 

    “Wait Sooyoung, I have something to say.” Yuri quickly said stopping Sooyoung before she steps over the threshold, “I’ve had a lot of time to think alone since all of this mess has been happening to us and I have noticed a particular pattern. You always cover for Sunny. For example is she leaves suddenly then you have an excuse for her. You know something don’t you.”

 

    “Don’t be absurd. I know nothing more than you do. You’re Paranoid Yuri and that’s all I have to say on the matter.” Sooyoung tried to leave again but Tiffany blocked her path and pushed her back into the room.

 

    “I’ve noticed it too.” Tiffany said pointedly, “I bet you know why she’s in the hospital.”

 

    “Don’t you dare gang up on me.” Sooyoung threatened with a loud voice, staring directly at Tiffany, “I have told you everything I know. If you are going to treat me like this then I’m not going to tell you anything anymore.”

 

    “What’s going on Sooyoung?” Taeyeon chimed in finally, “What’s going on with Sunny?”

 

    “The same shit that’s been going on for the last five years. To tell the truth I don’t actually know what she does with her personal time. I try to help keep her head on straight and be a shoulder for her to cry on just like I do for every one of you. Can I please leave now?” Sooyoung said at hyper speed with all her building frustration. Tiffany moved away from the door and nodded slowly satisfied with her answer. Sooyoung quickly sent a text to Sunny as soon as she was back on the couch, praying she would receive it.

 

    'Fany found a gun in your room.' Sooyoung was relieved at the quickness of Sunny’s reply.

 

    'How?'

 

    'She was going through Daesung’s box. When are you coming home?'

 

    'I’ll let you know as soon as I know. Don’t worry about me Sooyoung just keep them out of my stuff.'

 

    'I’m glad you’re not dead.'

 

    'You underestimate me.'

 

     Sunny slid her phone under her pillow and rolled over to stare at Tom Gordon as he pecked at the screen of his smartphone, presumably composing an important email or text message. No one else from Fractal had stopped by to see her since he arrived.

 

    “Are you my personal guard? Why are you still here?” She asked tiredly after a while.

 

    “Do I make you nervous Soonkyu?” He chuckled and she noticed he had been playing sudoku on his phone, “When you are ready I will be taking an oral report from you.”

 

    “What?” She sat up too quickly and felt her head spin for a moment, “Am I being punished for something?”

 

    “Not at all. Just let me know when you want to begin, there is no rush but the sooner you can speak about it the better. Fresh memories and all, I wouldn’t want you to leave anything out.”

 

Sunny laid back down and began carefully gathering her thoughts.


	17. A Matter of Conscience

     _“If I tell you this you must take it to the grave with you. No one else can know.” Sunny stared at her with an intensity that sent a chill down Hyomin’s spine._

 

_“I promise.”_

 

_“We were leaving Korea that day. Running away from Fractal, our fame, our families.”_

 

    This was the confession Hyomin was told to extract from Sunny for Zachariah King. Now that she had it she found it extremely hard to hand it over. Sunny was her friend and she didn’t want to see her die. She had never gotten so attached to another agent before, it was part of her job to stay as neutral as possible but Sunny’s situation pulled at her heart strings.

 

    Hyomin paced in her office back and forth from wall to wall until the paperwork piling up on her desk forced her to sit down and think about something other than Sunny’s situation. She knew a terrible secret about Sunny, one that could get them both killed if she was caught lying about it. Tom Gordon had heard rumors of Daesung and Sunny planning to leave, but nothing could be found to prove it was actually happening. She knew how methodical Sunny used to be when she took out a mark, trying to escape would have made her all the more so.

 

    She diligently worked through her paperwork and wrote a report on her version of the happening surrounding Sunny’s kidnapping and rescue then left her office to join her idol group members for their early morning dance practice. Her body was going through the motions as her mind tormented her with ‘what if’ scenarios. She returned to her office a few hours later mentally exhausted.

 

She needed to make up her mind and make it fast. Zachariah King would not wait silently much longer.

 

    The door to the office opened and Hyomin looked up to see Junhyung entering the room with a blank expression. He sat down opposite of her and stared at the paperwork she was looking over. She quickly straightened up her desk and cleared her throat.

 

    “Are you here for that slug?” She asked politely.

 

    “Tch, I want answers Sunyoung. What is your mission?” Junhyung scowled at her for remembering his words earlier.

 

    “I see your meeting with Zachariah was fruitless. As he has told you I am only gathering information and working with Sunny to figure out how Daesung died. Not everything I do has to do with terminating traitors as you have called it. My job is more than that.”

 

    “What information are you gathering? I might have something for you regarding Sunny.”

 

    “Oh? Are you testing me Junhyung? It’s not like you to help anyone but yourself.” Hyomin leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, “We have already closed this case, Helena sabotaged the car Daesung was driving. She witnessed the couple kill her brother and was getting revenge.”

 

    “Jinho was good at what he did, he should have known better than to try to go to the police. He was so sloppy I’m surprised it took you so long to put a mark out on him.”

 

    “That’s right he was your partner. Why didn’t you give him up when you realized what he was doing?”

 

    “I told Zachariah weeks before you put out the mark on him.” He glared at her for a moment, “I am smart enough to know you are up to something. They don’t assign you to work with just anyone. If I am going to lose another partner I want to know why.”

 

    “Nothing is going to happen to Sunny. You should be concerned with your own performance and not matters that do not concern you.”

 

    “If she dies I’m coming after you.” He slammed his fist on her desk to send home his point then left the office.

 

    “Crazy asshole.” Hyomin said under her breath. She sat down at her desk and loaded her favorite news site on her computer. She slowly scrolled through the headlines until she reached one in the middle of the page, “ _More details surrounding the murder at the Hongdae coffee shop. Female suspected to be the shooter_. Damn it Sunny.”

 

    Hyomin turned off the computer and started heading back to the hospital. She didn’t need to cover up this murder personally, but with Sunny’s life at stake she felt the need to handle it alone. When she entered the hospital room Sunny was sleeping soundly. She placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her gently.

 

    “Sunny I need to know where the gun is that you used on the last mark? Come on Sunny wake up.” Hyomin whispered in her ear.

 

    “I think it’s in Daesung’s box in the closet or it’s under the bed. Good luck getting it out, I’ll text you the code to the door.” Sunny said without opening her eyes.

 

    “You have been doing it for years. How hard can it be?” Hyomin gave Sunny’s arm a pat then quickly headed for Sunny’s apartment.

 

    It was the middle of the day so she assumed the apartment would empty but she carefully snuck around anyway. She hastily grabbed the gun from the closet and looked around for the one under the bed. The sound of the front door opening made her scramble to hide under the bed as quickly as she could.

 

    “We need to leave in five minutes.”

 

    “I know I know I just need to grab something from my room.”

 

    “I’ll bring the car back around. I swear if you are not walking out the lobby door in two minutes.”

 

    “I know, I know.”

 

    Hyomin dared to peek out and glanced at a pair of size 7 shoes. She relaxed and laid flat on the floor trying to be as quiet as possible until she left. Hyomin looked up at the inner workings of the bed frame and found where Sunny had hidden her journals between the mattress and the wooden supports. She carefully pulled one out and opened it to a random page. All agents were asked to keep their own records, most didn’t write these records in leather bound journals, then again no one else was like Sunny. 

 

    Hyomin finally heard footsteps leaving the apartment and the opening and closing of the door. She put the journal back and slipped out from under the bed. Hyomin made sure the safety was on then put the gun snuggly in the waistband of her pants. She crept out of the room and slipped out the front door unnoticed.

 

    Once back in the office Hyomin had the gun destroyed and began hacking into the Hongdae police internal systems. She searched for video evidence and began installing a virus to corrupt the entire database.

 

    “That should do it.” She mumbled to herself then looked at her phone out of habit, “What am I going to do with you, Sunny.”

 

    “Miss Sunyoung?”

 

     Hyomin looked up to see Cho standing just in the doorway quietly waiting on her, “Yes, Cho what can I do for you?”

 

    “Have you eaten yet? I was heading out for a snack and wouldn’t mind picking your brain if you don’t mind. It’s on me of course.” Cho gave a quick wink and Hyomin stood up immediately.

 

    “A distraction sounds wonderful actually.” She turned off her computer and followed him out of the building.

 

    The pair walked to the nearest park and after ordering food from a street vendor they sat down on a bench. The conversation stayed casual until they were done eating then they stood and began walking around the park.

 

    “I noticed you are personally covering up the Hongdae incident.” Cho stated calmly, “I know you have worked with Soonkyu off and on for several years but this is the first time you have helped her in this way. It makes me think that you have a guilty heart. Did you finally find what you were looking for?”

 

    “Yes and no. I do care about her, no matter what anyone else thinks I am doing this because I do not want to see her suffer anymore. I have hit a fork in the road and now I must choose a path. Do I choose life or do I choose death? Well, it actually seems like I am choosing between my life or both of ours.”

 

    “Hmm, considering the consequences are quite extreme for both paths perhaps you should come clean with Soonkyu.”

 

    “After such an ordeal? No way, I’m certain this will blow over easily.”

 

    Cho chuckled and leaned in close to her ear, “To help ease your conscience, until Soonkyu has fully recovered her memory you cannot take any confession as the whole truth. She herself does not know the full story therefore neither can you.”

 

    “When she has healed I would like to send her through some training exercises.”

 

    “All she wants to do is spend time with her son. It will be hard to convince her to join you.” Cho looked at his watched and they began walking back to the Fractal building, “I think we both want what’s best for Soonkyu. Where do you think Junhyung’s heart is on the matter?”

 

    “Conflicted, I think. He only thinks of himself, but he seems more attached to Sunny than he was to his last partner. I think if his best interest is with her then he will take her side.”

 

    “We will have to make sure it remains with her then. Soonkyu is going to need any ally she can get when the truth is revealed.”

 

    “Sir…you know?”

 

    “You doubt my intelligence gathering skills?” He humored.

 

    “Of course, the Spy Master knows all.”

    

    “Prepare for battle Sunyoung and make sure Soonkyu is ready.”

 

    “Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting? Cho have you lost your mind?” Hyomin hastily looked around before continuing, “I don’t want to die Cho! I’m trying to sweep this all under the rug not start a fucking war. We have zero chance of winning against Mr. King.”

 

    “Have a little faith.”

 

    “You do understand what I do for this company, right?” She ran a worried hand through her hair and jumped when her phone suddenly rang, “Shit.”

 

    “Don’t worry so much Sunyoung. I have everything under control, just take care of Sunny.”

 

    Hyomin flashed him a worried look then ran off answering her phone as she went. She was late for an interview with the rest of T-Ara. Cho's words shocked her more than anything else, he had been the last person she would have thought would start a fight Tom and Zachariah.

 

    Tom Gordon had left Sunny alone at last to recover peacefully. She endured three days of his presence as she told him over and over what had happened between her and Helena. She didn't know what he was hoping to discover by making her do this. Hyomin had not been back to visit nor had Junhyung shown his face even once. The person she was looking forward to seeing was neither of them. Cho's slim figure slipped into the room as silent as a cat and she genuinely smiled for the first time in a long time.

 

    "Cho!" Sunny shouted with joy, "What's going on? Tom Gordon was in here for three days eating yogurt and asking me for an oral report."

 

    "It's nothing you need to be concerned about. Gordon and King are very anxious about what happened and you are the only one that knows the details.”

 

    “I didn’t tell her anything, not that it matters anymore since she’s dead.” Sunny looked away from him, “I begged her to kill me then I threatened her. How does my face look? I’ve been too scared to see for myself.”

 

    “She really did a number on you. You will heal without any scars if that is what you are worried about.” He bent over and looked her over closely, “Something has changed.”

 

    “Can I trust you?”

 

    Cho simply nodded and closed the door quietly. A mysterious smile spread across Sunny’s face as she slowly raised the bed so that she was in a sitting position. Cho turned sat on the edge of the bed and started to sign silently. It was the safest way to communicate without being overheard, not many people knew sign language unless it was necessary.

 

     _It’s good to have you back._

 

 _I’m sorry I worried you. I’m afraid I have told Sunyoung too much._ Sunny replied with a lopsided frown.

 

     _She will keep her mouth shut. She values your life just as much as her own. I put it in her ear that there is going to be trouble soon. You’ve been through a lot but please endure a little longer and we will all be able to live in peace again. How are you holding up?_

 

_I really just want to die, but I need to see this through we need to burn this company to the ground before I die._

 

Cho embraced Sunny despite her injuries, “Don’t say think things like that. You’re my only daughter in this world and it will be a worse place without you. I need you to heal fast and start training again. I will email you next months schedule tomorrow.”

 

    “I don’t feel safe in this place, will you stay with me for a while?”

 

    “All day if I need to.”

 

    Sunny felt her phone vibrate and looked at it sleepily then cursed under her breath, “Oppa, Helena…she took a picture of me. I was scared of who she would send it to, but it looks like…well see for yourself.”

 

    Cho took a look at her phone and rubbed his eyes tiredly, “I’m going to make a phone call. I’ll be right back.”

 

    Sunny made her own phone call as soon as he left the room, “Sooyoung don’t watch the news, don’t look at anything posted online, promise me okay.”

 

    “Whoa slow down. What’s happened? Is it about you? You know the PR team has probably already seen it.” Sooyoung looked around the kitchen for the laptop she had left on the table.

 

    “I’m trying to have it taken care of but I really don’t want you to see this. I’m begging you Sooyoung don’t let the others see me like this either.”

 

    “Oh my God!” Seohyun screamed from the living room. Sunny heard it and hung up the phone with a defeated sigh. The rest of the girls in the apartment gathered around Seohyun’s computer to see what was so shocking and immediately regretted it.

 

    “How did this happen?” Sooyoung said under her breath.

 

     There was a picture of Sunny sitting in a chair looking like she had been beaten within an inch of her life. Sooyoung would have said it was a fake had she not have known Sunny was in the hospital recovering from this she now assumed. The headline above the photo suggested it was a still from a new movie or a grotesque manipulation from an anti-fan.

 

    “I want a manager on the phone right now.” Taeyeon said as she looked around for her phone, “What the hell is going on?”

 

    “This is why she’s been hospitalized for? Who would do such a thing?” Yuri asked appalled at the picture, “Seohyun get that off the screen right now.”

 

    “It can’t be real.” Yoona tried to rationalize, “There’s no way.”

 

    Sooyoung’s phone rang and she fumbled around to answer it, “Hello?”

 

    “Is this Choi Sooyoung?” A deep manly voice asked on the other line.

 

    “It is, but now is not a good time to talk. Please contact me through my company going forward.”

 

    “Miss Choi this is regarding Lee Soonkyu, it is of the utmost importance that we speak. I’m calling from Fractal Corp. My name is Zachariah King.”


	18. Wash Away

    Jessica looked on curiously as all the color left Sooyoung’s face. Sooyoung quickly ended her phone call trying to keep the sudden panic from her voice as she did so, then sank into a chair at the kitchen table. Her phone rang again and she answered it very quietly. Jessica casually repositioned herself closer to Sooyoung until she could hear bits of the conversation.

 

    “He’s your boss?!” Sooyoung slammed her fist down on the table and tried to whisper again, “I’m going to die, aren’t I? He finally figured it out and now I’m going to die. You better tell me the truth or so help me I will haunt you for the rest of your life.”

 

    There was a long silence and Jessica glanced over to ensure the phone call hadn’t ended. She could clearly see how scared Sooyoung was and how much strength she was using to control herself. She tried not to let it scare her as well but could feel a sense of dread pooling in the pit of her stomach.

 

    “I remember what you promised and I need you to realize that the time is now. I don’t have the pleasure of smelling the flowers anymore. Look Sunny when are you coming home? I can’t deal with this on my own.” Sooyoung got up and walked into the kitchen to stare at the schedule on the refrigerator door.

 

    Jessica furrowed her brow when she heard Sunny’s name and snuck up behind Sooyoung carefully. She used her strength to pull the phone out of Sooyoung’s hand roughly and checked the caller ID before putting the phone to her ear.

 

    “Yah you midget what the hell happened to you?” Jessica demanded from Sunny cutting her off mid-sentence with a confused stutter.

 

    “Oh! Jessica, you surprised me. I’m sorry for all the worry I’ve caused. Can you please give the phone back to Sooyoung.” Sunny asked only thinking of Sooyoung’s mental state.

 

    “No, not until you answer my question. There is a horrible picture of you online and we can’t visit you in the hospital. Why are you even in the hospital to begin with?”

 

    “I plan on discussing that with everyone soon. Please, Jessica I _really_ need to speak with Sooyoung.”

 

    “Fine do one thing for me. Send me a picture I want proof of life.”

 

    Sunny sighed loudly, “Deal.”

 

    Satisfied Jessica gave the phone back to Sooyoung and slapped her arm playfully before she walked away. Sooyoung grabbed the phone and shut herself in her room to avoid further interruptions. Jessica returned to the couch looking at the other girls in the room silently asking them to gather around.

 

    “Something is wrong guys.” Jessica whispered, “Sooyoung is on the phone with Sunny talking about some weird shit.”

 

    “What kind of weird…stuff?” Yoona asked excitedly since hearing some news on Sunny. Yuri and Hyoyeon scooted closer to Jessica in order to listen to what she was saying. Seohyun remained silent holding her laptop in her lap stiffly as she stared at Taeyeon in the other room quietly talking to a manager. Tiffany silently put an arm around her shoulder hoping it would comfort the youngest a little.

 

    “Sooyoung got a weird call, went pale then Sunny contacted her. The timing of both calls doesn’t seem random.” Jessica gave a loud frustrated groan, “What’s going on right now?!”

 

    “Maybe you’re overthinking this.” Hyoyeon cocked a brow and relaxed her posture, “I saw you talk to her on the phone what did she tell you? What did she sound like?”

 

    “She sounded weak, tired, different from her new normal. She only wanted to talk to Sooyoung. I made her promise to send me a picture. I want to compare it to that awful image so I’ll need you to pull that backup Seohyun.”

 

    “Are you serious? Why would you want to do that?” Seohyun asked shocked, all color had left her face by now.

 

    “Very serious.” Jessica’s stare was intensely set on Seohyun who was on the edge of tears thinking about the entire situation.

 

    “I hate this. I hate everything about this.” The Magnae shoved her computer at Jessica and left the room. They sat in silence as they waited patiently for the picture to arrive.

 

    “Here it is.” Jessica opened the text and pulled up the picture so that it filled up the entire screen of her phone. Sunny was sitting on a hospital bed in a gown. She was wearing a small smile but her face was swollen, her makeup did a poor job of covering up her black eyes and bruised lower lip. Jessica zoomed in on the hands in her lap and found bruising on her wrists as well. She didn’t need to look at the photo from the web to know something terrible had happened to Sunny. That photo was real and she finally understood Sooyoung’s fear.

 

    “She looks awful.” Hyoyeon commented looking away, “Maybe it’s better that we don’t get involved. I’m sure the police are already on top of this.”

 

    “Like they were during the break-in at the old apartment? The criminal was delivered to the police by a citizen.” Tiffany scoffed, “Sunny has to be in some sort of trouble. Why else would they not let anyone visit her in the hospital let alone tell us why she is there.”

 

    Everyone stopped talking as Sooyoung power walked from her room to Sunny’s room and shut the door loudly behind her. They all rushed to the door and pressed an ear to the cold wood hoping to hear some of the conversation.

 

    “Okay, I’m in your room.” Sooyoung said after sitting down on Sunny’s bed.

 

    “I want you to know where this is in case you need it. The gun in the closet has been removed for everyone’s safety. I keep the second one under the bed, oh wait, no I moved it. The second one is under the dresser. Slip your hand behind the dresser and feel under it, you should feel the gun close to the wall.” Sunny was at a loss and wanted more than anything to return to the apartment, “I will be home as soon as possible Sooyoung. I will not allow anything to happen to you I promise. If he calls again answer the phone and just be truthful, you really don’t know what I do for Mr. King.”

 

    “There is going to be a lot of explaining to do when you get here. How bad are your injuries?” Sooyoung grunted as she reached behind the dresser to verify the gun's location.

 

    “I was kidnapped and tortured for about five days. I’ve been in the hospital for a week or so and I’m very stir crazy right now. My injuries are healing but they are the least of my concerns right now. Don’t be afraid Sooyoung, please don’t be afraid. Please be brave for me.”

 

    “T-tortured?” Sooyoung’s eyes went wide and she held her hand over her mouth in shock for a moment, “What have you gotten yourself involved in? Please come home safe.”

 

    “I will.” Sunny hung up the phone and slipped it back under her pillow.

 

    Sooyoung laid back on Sunny’s bed letting the tears roll down her face freely. She curled up in a ball around Sunny’s pillow and cried herself to sleep, worry and fear exhausting her limits. She felt safe somehow being locked in the bedroom. The phone in her hand vibrated a few hours later waking her up with a scare. She hesitated to answer it.

 

    “Hello?” Sooyoung braced herself for the voice on the other end.

 

    “Miss Sooyoung? This is Zachariah King calling you back. Please, this is an urgent matter regarding Lee Soonkyu.” His voice was calm and flowed smoothly through the receiver to her ear.

 

    “Soonkyu is currently in the hospital and no one has been allowed to speak to her let alone visit. I don’t know how much help I can be.”

 

    “What has Soonkyu told you about her job at Fractal?”

 

    “Only that she is a receptionist or a secretary. She likes to volunteer her time for the company, this is all public knowledge.”

 

    “I’m going to be frank with you Miss Sooyoung. Soonkyu’s coworker received a strange text from you some days ago stating that she was missing. Why did you send him that message?”

 

    “The two have been close and I had hoped she was with him. I wanted to check with her close friends before going to our managers. Sunny likes to disappear, getting this kind of message from me isn’t unheard of.” Sooyoung gathered her courage, “How is this so important that you need to call me this late at night? Is Sunny in trouble?”

 

    “You could say so. Soonkyu is working on a secret project for us and we are just making sure that she is holding up her end of the confidentiality agreement. I have just a few more questions and I will let you go.”

 

    “Sooyoung?” Taeyeon groggily asked into the dark room.

 

    Sooyoung felt her heart nearly jump out of her chest and she muted the phone quickly, “How did you get in here?”

 

    “I walked in, you know that lock hasn’t worked since we moved in. Why are you on the phone?” Taeyeon said only to be ignored so she listened to Sooyoung’s end of the conversation intently looking for hints about who she was talking to until she finally hung up. 

 

    “Sooyoung please.”

 

    “It was Sunny’s boss at Fractal Corp. He was concerned about her whereabouts.” Sooyoung rolled over to look in Taeyeon’s general direction.

 

    “It sounded pretty serious. Do you want to talk about it?”

 

    “Everything is fine, there is nothing to worry about. Sunny said she will come home soon.”

 

    “You talked to Sunny? How is she?”

 

    “Tired but she really wants to come home. Taeyeon no matter how bad it might get in the coming weeks I want us to have her back.”

 

    “What do you mean?”

 

    “Just trust Sunny. She knows what she is doing.” Sooyoung rolled back over and closed her eyes ready to go back to sleep.

 

    “What in the world are you expecting to happen?” Taeyeon grumbled confused at her friend’s grim outlook but ultimately decided to go back to sleep as well.

 

     Sunny sat up on the bed as the doctor looked her over for her daily examination. The wounds were healing cleanly and she hoped they would let her leave soon. She could always just walk out on her own but she didn’t want any unnecessary attention from her bosses. Hyomin sat by her side today, Sunny glared at her as she tried to change the subject away from idol gossip as soon as the doctor left.

 

    “Being a little obvious aren’t you?” Sunny said sarcastically.

 

    “Listen to me! Be on your guard.” Hyomin lowered the volume of her voice, “Mr.King has spoken with Sooyoung it’s only a matter of time before he comes to you for answers or worse.”

 

    “I’m not stupid Hyomin. I know how Zachariah thinks and I know what information you have been trying to get out of me. As long as _you_ can keep your mouth shut I have nothing to worry about.”

 

    Hyomin looked away with a pissed off expression, “I don’t want to see you die. Besides, until you remember completely what you’ve done I can’t be sure that I am giving him the truth.”

 

    “I remember everything. I’ve been aware since I shot that man in Hongdae, I was sending a message. A subtle one but one I’m sure Zachariah King understood well.”

 

    “You’re killing me Sunny.” Hyomin shook her head and pulled out her phone.

 

    “Are you leaving?”

 

    “Yeah, duty calls. I have an idol schedule I need to keep. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”

 

    Sunny stuck her tongue out at Hyomin as she left the room then crossed her arms and glared at the door. Hyomin suddenly walked back into the room with Zachariah King following close behind her. Sunny cringed not quite ready to face him after what she had done. Hyomin stood stubbornly by the door as he walked over to the side of her bed.

 

    “How are you feeling?” He asked casually.

 

    “Ready to get out of this room.” Sunny said looking him directly in the eye.

 

    “I want to get your side of the story now. How much does your band members know?”

 

    “They know nothing.” Sunny answered without hesitation, “If you are referring to Sooyoung she knows I work for Fractal, that I work with Junhyung and that I need her to cover for me a lot.”

 

    “You know the rules Soonkyu.”

 

    “She does not know what I do in the company. You have already talked to her, what did she tell you?”

 

    “She is a risk nonetheless and must be dealt with.”

 

    “Wait Mr. King! She doesn’t know anything!” Sunny shouted emotionally.

 

    “You know the rule Soonkyu. Complete secrecy. She knows something and as vague as it might be it is more than she should know.”

 

    “Daesung killed the hyung that recruited him…let me take care of Sooyoung. She deserves respect.”

 

    “And if you can’t do it?”

 

    “Hyomin can follow me. If I can’t do it she can put a bullet in us both.”

 

    He nodded silently then headed to the door, “Get it done quickly.”

 

    As soon as he was safely down the hall Sunny pulled off her IV, got out of bed and flung herself into Hyomin’s open arms. Hyomin could feel tears running down her own cheeks as she comforted the shorter girl. She knew Sunny wasn’t ready yet but this was a call to action. It was starting and Hyomin’s gut twisted at the thought of the coming bloodshed.

 

    “We need to get out of here. I don’t trust him.” Sunny whispered, “Call Cho then go protect my girls until I get there. Stock up on whatever you think I will need. Please do this for me Hyomin. I promised I would keep them safe.”

 

    “You want to have a standoff at your apartment? In the open like that? I will make some calls and see if I can’t evacuate the building. Gas leaks are easy to fake.”

 

    “That sounds good. You, Cho and I…I wish Daesung were here.”

 

    “Don’t worry I’ve been working on getting you some backup. Between me and Cho we have like 30 people willing to help. We aren’t alone in this fight.”

 

    “Thank you.” Sunny moved away and bid good luck as Hyomin left the room.

 

    Hyomin was quick to start calling and texting those loyal to her for supplies to be delivered to the Girls’ Generation apartment. Guns and ammo were at the top of the list followed by medical supplies and finally a fair amount of alcohol just in case they survive this call to arms. She let herself into the apartment and called out for Sooyoung as she took off her shoes.

 

    “Sooyoung!” Hyomin’s voice echoed throughout the apartment bringing all eyes to her.

 

    “Hyomin? How did you get in?” Yoona asked surprised at her sudden appearance.

 

    “Is everyone home right now?” Hyomin asked as she scanned the apartment in order to formulate a plan.

 

    “Yeah, but we have to leave in order film for a show in about 30 minutes. You seem upset has something happened?”

 

    “You could say so. Yoona will you gather everyone for me?” Hyomin pulled out her phone and sent a text ordering the evacuation of the building to begin, “Keep away from the windows please.”

 

    “Hyomin? What’s going on?” Tiffany asked holding onto Taeyeon hand as she sat down on the couch with the leader.

 

    “In a minute there is going to be someone knocking on the door asking everyone to evacuate the building because of a deadly gas leak. We are going to be very quiet until this floor is empty. Sunny will be home soon but I must ask you to remain calm and silent until then.” Hyomin felt her phone vibrate and looked down at the text, “Good it looks like it has begun. Please stay away from the windows and don’t answer the door or your phones.”

 

    “What’s going on? We really don’t have time if this is a prank.” Yuri repeated full of curiosity.

 

    “Sunny will have to be the one to tell you. I was asked to keep you safe until then.” Hyomin looked directly at Sooyoung who was starting to cry quietly, “It’s not your fault. This was bound to happen eventually.”

 

    “How is it not my fault?! He is coming to kill me isn’t he?” Sooyoung started to sob openly and loudly until she was embraced by Seohyun and Jessica.

 

    Hyomin looked at her phone once again and made her way to the front door. she opened it slightly to verify it was one of her trusted then let him in. He was carrying three long green duffle bags and a book bag was slung across his back. He set them down in the kitchen then greeted the girls with an apologetic smile.

 

    “Sooyoung we are about to be at war. This is more than you knowing vaguely what Sunny does for Fractal. This is her revenge for Daesung’s death and a freedom from a man that you will never understand. This is bigger than you think.” Hyomin turned to the man and pulled him to the side, out of earshot of the others, “Youngdo, do we have people set up outside?”

 

    “Yes we have a set up a few people the keep a look out around the building and a couple snipers in the two building on either side. They can see the entrance and the balcony. We still haven’t heard from Cho or Junhyung.”

 

    “Thanks. I want you to hang out in here with me for a while. Let’s move some of the furniture for better cover and figure out where to stash the girls.”

 

    “Yes, ma’am. Surveillance is being set up as we speak all we need is a computer to access the feed.”

 

    Hyomin looked back at the girls on the couch as they all looked at Sooyoung, some demanding answers with their stares others lost in the chaos of their own thoughts. She was angry at what she was being dragged into, Sunny’s carelessness would be the end of her she thought.

 

    Sunny wasn’t going to take any chances. She got out of bed and began looking for a change of clothes. She was certain that Cho or Hyomin had left her some but the only thing she could find was the blood stained rags she was brought in with. She could see that the medical center had attempted to launder them for her but she could still smell the sweat and blood from five days of torture. She hastily threw them in the trash and left the room holding the back of her gown together with her right hand. The first nurse that saw her walking through the halls blocked her from venturing any further with a firm hand on Sunny’s shoulder.

 

    “Where do you think you are going young lady?” The nurse began in an authoritative tone.

 

    “I heard there was a place in here where I could stretch my legs. I don’t have a change of clothes but I figured it would be warm enough to go outside like this.” Sunny lied hoping the nurse wouldn’t lock her back in her room.

 

    “I will find you some spare clothes to put on. Please go back to your room and I will have someone escort you as soon as you are dressed.”

 

    “Thanks.” Sunny flashed a warm smile before heading back to her room. 

 

    A nurse delivered the change of clothes and escorted Sunny to the elevator. It was empty much to Sunny’s delight when they entered. She waited for the doors to close before quickly putting the nurse in a stranglehold and knocking her out cold. She hit the lobby button calmly waiting for the doors to open then casually stepped out.

 

     Hyomin thought she was going to have to strangle someone by the time the doorbell rang. She really couldn’t understand how Sunny lived with eight other women. She motioned for Youngdo to pull open the door as she hushed the girls behind her.

 

    “Open the damn door Hyomin!” Sunny shouted through the barely open door. The door flew open instantly but it was not Sunny that entered the room, instead Cho walked in first, looked around then motion for her to follow him. Hyomin caught a glimpse of a body in the hall and cursed mentally for not securing the building better.

 

    “Sunny!” A few of her members shouted with a mix of excitement and relief. They stopped short of embracing her as soon as they saw the fresh red stains on her sweatshirt. Sooyoung pushed herself to the front to look at Sunny closely, to make sure it wasn’t a dream.

 

    Sunny dropped down on her knees in front of the tallest member, “I’m sorry Sooyoungie. I promised I wouldn’t let them harm any of you.”

 

    “I think it’s time you told me a certain story.” Sooyoung sat down beside Sunny and pressed the shorter member to her chest. Sunny looked over her shoulder at Cho waiting for his permission to open the impending dam. He gave a curt nod, permission granted.

 

    “Everyone I need to come clean with you.” Sunny cleared her throat and backed away from Sooyoung to look everyone in the eye, “I’m not a good person.”

 

    “Not this again Sunny.” Taeyeon groaned.

 

    “Shut up Tae.” Sooyoung growled wanting more than anything to hear this confession.

 

    “I have been lying to you since the day we met. I am not a volunteer for Fractal Corporation, I am a killer for hire. Daesung and I were partners in crime until he died…because of me. We killed for money and sometimes drugs. Sooyoung has been helping me lie to you and for that I was ordered to kill her today. If I can’t kill her then Hyomin has been ordered to kill us both.”

 

    “The fuck…” Hyoyeon mumbled looking around to see how the others were digesting this information.

 

    “ I have been shot, stabbed, strangled, drown and tortured for far too long. I’m taking a stand today, please trust me when I say I will not let them harm a hair on your heads.”

 

    “Are you high?” Taeyeon looked for the signs she has ignored over the years but couldn’t find any.

 

    “The reason you were in the hospital?” Jessica asked boldly.

 

    “I was kidnapped and tortured by one of my victims.” Sunny answered ashamed for it happening so easily, “That photo you saw was real.”

 

    “Sunny, tell it like it really is Helena was batshit crazy.” Hyomin chimed in from the kitchen with her arms crossed, “If it wasn’t for Sooyoung you’d still be in that hellhole.”

 

All eyes went to Sooyoung for a minute then back to Sunny.

 

    “So to sum this up you are a hired gun working for a company that is supposed to be working with the government. It sounds like Daesung was also a part of this company and so is Hyomin?” Seohyun wasn’t sure if she believed this story, the growing armory in the kitchen caught her eye making it a little more believable.

 

    “Sweetie it’s a little more complicated than that but you’ve got the basics.” Hyomin had walked over to one of the duffle bags and was unzipping it, “If you can’t handle a little violence or blood please find a safe corner and stay out of the way.”

 

     Sunny disappeared into her room and came back out carrying three handguns, a knife, and her medical kit. She preferred close combat to shooting someone but knew she would be in the minority. Cho quietly added her guns to the ones Hyomin was putting on the kitchen table then gave Sunny long hug.

 

    “Call Junhyung.” He said softly in her ear, “Give him an ultimatum. Fractal or us.”

 

    She nodded her head digging in her pocket for her phone as well as her lighter, “I’ve been given about 48 hours to kill Sooyoung. If he chooses Fractal the war starts now have your allies ready just in case. If not Hyomin is going to call Tom tomorrow to tell him where she stands.”

 

    “The bathroom will be the safest place for them or possibly that corner room if they can keep away from the window.”

 

    “Yoona’s room? She has blackout curtains so that shouldn’t be a problem.” Sunny walked through the kitchen and stepped out onto the small balcony. She took a moment to light up a joint before phoning Junhyung.

 

    “Feeling better?” He answered immediately.

 

    “I’ve left the hospital Mr. King told me to kill my band mate. I’m assuming this is your fault.” She said with more than a little sass in her tone.

 

    “He was the one that asked me about it. I didn’t want to rat out your friend without your end of the story.”

 

    “How nice of you.” She said sarcastically, “I guess I should at least be thankful you have treated me better than Jinho.”

 

    “What are you getting at Sunny?”

 

    “I’m not going to kill my friend. Starting today I am going to fight against Fractal Corp. Will you be an ally?”

 

    “You alone against the company? Have you lost your mind?”

 

    “I’m not alone. I have 30 odd good people behind me. Care to make it 31?” Sunny heard him sigh loudly, “Think about it and get back to me.”

 

    She hung up the phone and looked out over the street below her. She knew it probably wasn’t safe on the balcony but she needed one last smoke to calm her nerves. Inside Taeyeon rubbed her face wishing she would wake up from this dream. Tiffany was stuck to her side uncharacteristically silent.

 

    “Sooyoung I think it's time you explained you side of this.” Taeyeon looked over at the nervous girl on the couch. Sooyoung was hugging her knees and staring at Taeyeon with slightly glazed over eyes.

 

    “It was almost a month after our first anniversary Sunny says I saved her life. I was coming home from my radio show and spotted her dragging her stupid motorcycle into her hiding spot. I was making my way to her when I saw a guy come out of nowhere and grab her arm then her hair pulling her around the corner.” Sooyoung turned to look at Sunny still sitting on the balcony, “I ran after him and grabbed at his hair as hard as I could.”

 

    “You ran after him instead of calling the police?” Taeyeon was having a hard time soaking in the story.

 

    “Yeah I ran after him, why is that so heard to believe? Sunny was able to get to her knife and well you can guess what happened to him. It was then that I realized she was probably the best actor I had ever met but she wouldn’t tell me anything. So I helped her however I could and kept her grounded as much as I could.”

 

    “So you knew she was into something dangerous and didn’t think to tell us? To tell me?” Taeyeon felt betrayed by her two friends at the moment. She scanned around the room, taking in the guns, chaotic rearrangement of their furniture and the smoke lifting off the balcony every so often.

 

    “It was Sunny’s secret not mine. Besides, I didn’t want to put any of you in danger.” Sooyoung stretched her legs out and scooted down to be beside Taeyeon hugging her gently for a moment, “It wasn’t because she didn’t trust us. As you can see it is life or death.”

 

    “It was for your own safety so get off your high horse.” Hyomin added as she was bent over the kitchen counter marking up a blueprint of some sort.

 

    “Nobody was talking to you Hyomin.” Taeyeon directed over the couch.

 

    “She’s telling the truth.” Sunny cut in sliding the balcony door shut behind her, “Cho it’s done.”

 

     He nodded silently from his own corner of the room talking quietly on his cell phone. She watched Sooyoung and Taeyeon both scrunch up their noses as she passed by the couch on her way to Hyomin and smirked. Rebelling was in her blood.

 

    “Already?” Hyomin lifted an amused brow.

 

    “Nerves.” Sunny nodded, “Better now than later.”

 

    “Who was the guy in the hall?”

 

    “I was followed from the hospital. I didn’t want to take any chances.”

 

    “Junhyung?”

 

    “Still waiting. What can I help with?”

 

    “You can start by showing your little monsters where to hide when the shooting starts. As soon as Cho gets off the phone with my manager I’ll gather the troops and we’ll have a little pow-wow.” Hyomin vaguely motioned to the girls in the living room. Sunny just rolled her eyes and started gathering them into Yoona’s room.


	19. Wash Away Pt 2

    Fear is a powerful motivator. Fear helped Sunny knock out three agents in the stairwell, two in the hallway and two more on her way back to Hyomin on the fourth floor base of operations. It was easier to plan away from the girls. They could gather small groups of their allies to exchange intelligence with out terrifying them with every detail.

 

    “Give me some good news Sunny.” Hyomin said barely looking up from the monitor, she was watching the surveillance feed like a hawk.

 

    “Took out seven on my way here. I feel like I’m stuck in a video game glitch where the enemy wont stop respawning.” Sunny picked up a couple of clips off the counter beside Hyomin, “Are my girls still safe?”

 

    “Yeah don’t worry. I heard through some radio chatter that Tom Gordon was on his way. They must be getting desperate.”

 

    “How are our numbers looking?”

 

    “We’re down about 15. If we can endure Tom then Zachariah won’t be far behind and this will all be over. You’re doing good Sunny, just keep it up a little longer.”

 

    “Snipe Tom at the front door for all I care but leave Zachariah to die by my hands.” Sunny saw Hyomin smile at her demand. Everyone wanted a piece of Zachariah King at this point but the thought of actually fighting with him scared most of their allies into obedience.

 

    “Go clear the floor then head back to your apartment room for a short breather. Have you seen Junhyung yet?”

 

    “Not yet.”

 

    “Alright, I’ll contact you in a few.”

 

    Sunny took her time going up a floor in the stairwell then clearing the floor before entering the apartment room. She released one of the agents posing as a last defense for her members to let him get in on some of the action outside. She locked the door and checked it twice before heading into Yoona’s room.

 

    “You guys still alive?” Sunny asked jokingly.

 

    “Really? Jokes, right now?” Tiffany scolded trying to hide her fear with mock anger.

 

    Seohyun grimaced and pointed shyly at the ground, “There’s blood on your shoes unnie.”

 

    “I know I’m protecting you believe it or not. Sometimes violence cannot be avoided.” Sunny sat down on the floor and leaned back against the door tiredly, “I just need to kill one person and this will all be over.”

 

    “Why do you have to kill anyone? Where have your morals gone?” Taeyeon stood up so that she towered over Sunny, “What kind of example is this for your son?”

 

    “Because they are cold hearted killers Tae. If I don’t fight back they _will_ _kill_ _us all_ , it was decided the second I was ordered to kill Sooyoung.” Sunny closed her eyes, “I just want a few minutes of rest then you won’t have to see me again until this is all over. If you want to see me at all.”

 

    All the girls screamed when the bedroom door was kicked open making a loud bang against the wall. Sunny jumped up as quickly as she could to get herself between the girls and her attacker. Junhyung stood before her shocking everyone in the room. His dark eyes were dead set on Sunny, skin turning the color of plain paper as it drained from his face. He took a step forward then letting gravity do its job he fell face forward onto the hard floor. A dime sized hole clearly visible among the blood pooling around his head.

 

    “He was a good ally Gordon. Why would you do this?” Sunny said trying to keep the quiver from her voice. As much as she hated him she would most definitely miss him.

 

    “He was planning a double cross. I could see it written all over his face.” Tom Gordon stepped into sight as Sunny emerged from the room cautiously, “Did you think by having Sunyoung and Cho on your side it would give you some kind of advantage?”

 

    “Of course not. I would have stormed the Fractal building by myself if I had to.” She ducked behind a fallen arm chair for cover then crawled slowly into the kitchen.

 

    “I don’t understand Soonkyu. King and I took you in, trained you and have provided you with nothing less than excellent care not to mention protection from those that wished to harm you.”

 

    “Where were you when Helena took me, _twice,_ I might add. Or perhaps when that gang banger got into my room and attempted to kill my roommate? You are not my mark today Tom. Zachariah King is.”

 

    “To get to him you will have to go through me.” Tom reached into the holster on his hip and pulled out a Walther PPQ.

 

    “Did you forget your Bond gun today? I thought that was your signature.” Sunny teased as she continued to slowly move around the room.

 

    “I’m not going to waste it on a traitorous bitch.” He spat using his full London accent for added effect.

 

     Sunny glanced around the couch she was hidden behind trying to locate the best place to begin this firefight. She took a shot aiming for the ceiling then hurried back to the kitchen as a couple of rounds pierced the couch. She prayed Hyomin was seeing this on her CCTV feed and sending someone to help her. Any backup or distraction would work in her favor, as of right now the odds were against her. She peeked out from behind the counter to find Tom inching around the scattered furniture and looking into Tiffany’s room. She took aim at the back of his knee and let off two quick shots. She heard the startled screams of her group mates as Tom cried out in pain dropping his gun with a clank on the ground, at least one of her bullets made it.

 

    “Give up Tom please.” Sunny said as she stepped forward and shot at his right arm, “You’ve been out of the field for far too long.”

 

    He clenched his teeth as the blood flowed freely from his leg and shoulder wound, “Finish the job. You’ll need the energy if you want to fight King.”

 

    “You were supposed to be a harder target.” She tucked her gun in the waistband of her pants and unsheathed her long knife, “Goodbye Tom Gordon.”

 

    She lunged forward with her knife at hand aiming for his neck when he lifted his good leg and shoved her back as hard as he could. She went flying through the room toppling over furniture and landed hard on her back.

 

 Sunny heard a few shocked screams through her frantically spinning mind, “You’re going to bleed out anyway, why even fight back?”

 

    “Do you really think these flesh wounds are going to kill me?” Tom stood above her now dripping blood on the floor beside her head. She could see the pain he was in by the way he grit his teeth. He put his right foot down on her chest holding her down with his weight.

 

     At the speed of light, she cut his Achilles tendon sending him to his knees. She had to move as quickly as she could to avoid his knee coming down on her head. Sunny scrambled to her feet as fast as she could, moved behind Tom, grabbed a fist full of hair and stuck her knife to his throat.

 

    “Did you not see this coming? You’re supposed to be all knowing, all powerful, ruthless.”

 

    “You’ve been taught well.” His laugh turned into a gurgling choke as she ripped the knife through his throat. Blood sprayed out speckling the wall as he fell the floor lifeless.

 

    “I’m nothing like you.” Sunny dropped to her knees exhausted and emotional, “I’m sorry you have to see this side of me.”

 

    Hyomin and two men stormed through the open door stopping short when they saw the bodies on the floor. Hyomin went straight to Sunny embracing her for a moment before helping her back to her feet.

 

    “I’m sorry I didn’t get here quicker. We were clearing the building when I got the message about Tom Gordon.” Hyomin apologized, “What happened?”

 

    “Tom Gordon killed Junhyung.” Sunny cleaned her knife off on her shirt and put it back in the sheath, “Tom is out of practice it was easier than I thought it would be.”

 

    “Unnie you’re bleeding.” Yoona said through the shock of seeing her friend kill another human being. She slowly stepped out of the room pointing at a growing wet spot on Sunny’s right leg.

 

    “She’s right, here let me help you.” Hyomin grabbed the medical kit off the kitchen counter and began rooting through it, “Take off your pants so I can clean it.”

 

    Sunny waited for the agent’s Hyomin brought with her to drag the two bodies out of the room before she pulled off her tight jeans. Adrenaline was still running through her veins keeping the pain away for now. She looked at her bared legs examining them for any wounds. It was nothing more than a graze but it was bleeding like an open faucet.

 

    “Is anyone hurt?” Sunny directed at Yoona and the room full of girls.

 

    “No, we’re okay. Fany fainted she can’t stand to see blood.” Sooyoung emerged from the room hesitantly taking in the damage to their furniture and the blood spilled along the walls and floor.

 

    “This is going to be a bitch to clean.” Hyoyeon echoed Sooyoung’s inner-thoughts.

 

    “Don’t you have snipers how did he get in the building?” Jessica pointed at Hyomin with an accusing finger.

 

    “We can’t hit everyone.” Hyomin shrugged, “Don’t worry about what’s happening outside this room. Keep your head down and keep quiet.”

 

    “Is King close?” Sunny cringed as Hyomin started wrapping her leg tightly.

 

    “I haven’t seen him yet. I want you to stay here with your girls until we see him. I’ve got someone monitoring the CCTV and the coms so I’ll stay with you for a bit.”

 

     Sunny simply nodded in agreement as she slipped her dirty pants back on and sat down on the floor. Sooyoung, Hyoyeon, and Yoona started flipping the furniture over and examining the bullet holes in the couch. Sunny didn’t pay them any attention her focus was solely on what Zachariah King could be planning.

 

    “What’s going to happen to Junhyung?” Yuri kneeled down to whispered to Sunny, her voice shaking with fear.

 

    “I don’t know. I’ve never been apart of the cover ups Hyomin or Cho will know what to do. Don’t worry he will be treated respectfully.” Sunny reached for her gun and popped out the clip to count her bullets before pushing it back into place and leaving it on the floor by her side, “All of you should be in the bedroom. Please, I would feel better if you would not wonder around.”

 

    “Is this the calm before the storm?” Seohyun held on tightly to Taeyeon’s clammy hands.

 

    “Something like that.”

 

    Sunny hissed as she stood up, gun now in hand, to grab an extra clip off the kitchen table. Hyomin watched her with a heavy heart, this day was only going to continue to get harder. She looked at the first aid kit carefully hoping to find something stronger than an aspirin to help relax Sunny. The shorter woman saw her digging in the kit and shook her head.

 

    “Do you have a clean up plan?” Sunny asked as she peeked out the front door.

 

    “You mean if we survive? Not really.” Hyomin pushed the kit away with a pouty frown, “Put the bodies in a truck and burn them in the countryside maybe. While we have some time will you tell me what events lead up to Daesung’s death?”

 

    Sunny fired her gun twice then shut the door and returned to the living room floor. She meditated for a minute gathering her emotions and trying to put them to the side just for a few moments.

 

    “Daesung and I began planning to leave Fractal almost a month or two before we were asked to kill Jinho. Having been sent his mark I assumed someone was on to us and trying to warn us to stop so I lost hope in our plan. I kept pushing the date back further after I became pregnant. Daesung did it all, had the car modified by one of his buddies, bought a house and threatened the family taking care of our child to bring him to the airport at a specific time and date. He said goodbye to his members but I couldn’t even look mine in the eye that day. We were going to fake our deaths, head to the airport and leave the country. I had even bribed an ambulance driver at the time to help us.”

 

    “But Helena ruined it.” Hyomin looked Sunny over sympathetically.

 

    “This started and ended with Jinho. I hope that snitching bastard is happy now. We gave him ample time to leave that damn restaurant too.” Sunny shook her head at the memory.

 

    “What about the baby?”

 

    “An accident. I had sex with Seunghyun, felt terrible about it and being the selfish woman I am ran straight to Daesung to next day. I never told Seunghyun it wasn’t his I wanted to see him squirm.” Sunny laughed.

 

    “How did you hide it from us? Why did you hide it from us?” Seohyun shouted from the bedroom.

 

    “Throughout the entire pregnancy, I didn’t want the baby. I thought it would be easier and better for everyone if I was the only one that knew about him. It wasn’t hard faking a busy schedule and staying with my sister nearly the entire time. Cho did all the hard work finding a family to adopt him.”

 

    “What about now? Are you still going to try to raise him?” Yuri spoke up her voice stronger this time.

 

    “You might hate me for this but I’m going to be honest with you. No I am not. I love him, he is the last part of Daesung I have left but I cannot raise a child. He is already part of a loving family that will let me continue to be a part of his life.”

 

    “If you didn’t want him why would you be taking him with you?”

 

    “Daesung was very cross with me for giving Kyungsan up without even trying. We were starting a new life out of the limelight, away from fear of death, it was still scary but I was willing to give it a chance.”

 

    “Ah, that’s why you were headed all the way down to Kwangju.” Sooyoung beamed for a moment at putting the pieces together. It was immediately wiped off her face the second she looked down at her vibrating phone, Zachariah King was calling. She held the phone out for Sunny to see and it was snatched out of her hand as quickly as Sunny could manage. She answered it on speaker phone so that Hyomin could hear what he had to say.

 

    “I’ve been waiting for you Mr. King.” Sunny said deceptively cheery into the phone.

 

    “I’m glad to know you are still alive Soonkyu. Have you been injured?” Zachariah was not surprised to hear Sunny’s voice in fact he was very pleased.

 

    “Right as rain but Gordon isn’t doing too well. I hope you’re not as out of practice as he was.”

 

    “How clear is your head dear? There is no need for this tantrum you are dragging everyone into. Surrender-“ He was cut off by Hyomin’s laughter in the background.

 

    “Surrender is not an option. I will not lay down arms until you come and get me personally.” Sunny hung up and tossed the smartphone back at Sooyoung, “Don’t answer it if he calls back. Hyomin where is Cho?”

 

    “On the first floor listening to coms and giving directions. He always did like to be on the front line.”

 

    “We need a plan to go after King. Let’s clear the building and head to a safe house.”

 

    “A Fractal safe house you mean? Not a good idea Soonkyu.”

 

    “Cho has several private safe houses. I lived in one for a month during the pregnancy.”

 

    “Yeah, I’m sure King knows nothing about them.”

 

    “Hey, guys if you want to stop for just a second I might have an idea.” Hyoyeon raised her hand as if she needed permission to speak.

 

    “No.” Sunny turned to her quickly, “We speak to Cho, and exhaust every other idea before I will let it come to that. You are not going to get any more mixed up in this.”

 

    “Sunny we’re leaving as soon as Youngdo finishing clearing the upper floors. We will work our way down to Cho.” Hyomin reloaded her gun loudly.

 

    “Fine,” Sunny turned to the bedroom looking at each of the girls for a moment, “Hyomin will lead I want you all to stick together and be as quiet as possible. I’m going to be watching our backs.”

 

    “Um, why?” Jessica challenged alarmed that they were moving out of the relative safety of the bedroom.

 

    “Because we know what’s best. Get to your feet and be ready to move out.” Hyomin turned to Sunny more than a little annoyed, “Make sure they are ready to leave in five minutes.”

 

    By the time there were marching down the hallway Sunny had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She suddenly felt alone protecting the back of the line, she could see her friends before her, the agent in step beside her, Daesung’s ghost was looming up ahead his hat pushed down to cover more of his face.

 

    Tiffany slowly fell back until she felt Sunny put a hand her her back gently pushing her forward. Tiffany looked back gauging Sunny’s body language.

 

    “I need to ask you something.” Tiffany said in a low tone.

 

    “Can it wait?” Sunny spent longer than necessary double checking a locked door.

 

    “No.” Tiffany shuffled her feet a little, “I need to know. Daesoon, is he real?”

 

    “A ghost haunting me.”

 

    “When this is over let’s take a vacation.” Tiffany had a sad smile on her face, “We can all go see the home Daesung left for you.”

 

    “I’d rather not.” Sunny pushed the taller girl forward again.

 

    “Fair enough. Tell me was I right about Junhyung? He was obviously involved in this.”

 

    “He was not beating me. We trained together it was a tough sparring partner. I injured my head by falling off the sparring mat. Please rejoin the others now is not the time for this.”

 

    “Sunny!’ Hyomin shouted from the front of the line.

 

    “Yeah?”

 

    “I just got word the building is clear, we’ve either killed them all or King called a retreat. Let’s head for the elevators.” Hyomin pointed down the hall with a relaxed body language. 

 

    Sunny sent the okay sign then leaned into the agent beside her, “Gather everyone and start clearing out any bodies. I don’t want a speck of blood to be found.”

 

    “Yes, ma’am.” He ran for the stairwell and sprinted down to the join the rest of the survivors.

 

     They reached Cho quickly knowing that the way was clear for them. He stood looking at the door as if he were expecting them to walk through. He took in the state of each girl carefully before handing Hyomin his radio to take over the cleanup of the building. Sunny took his hand and led him away from the group to a dark corner of the lobby.

 

    “We need somewhere to hide. Is there anywhere Fractal wouldn’t know about?” She whispered as he hugged her tight.

 

    “There is a place I’ve been holding onto for a special occasion. It seems fitting we would be using it now. Will it just be for your friends or will you be joining them?”

 

    “You know I can’t. Send them with Hyomin then we will head for Fractal headquarters. As soon as Zachariah King is dead I’m going to kiss Kyungsan and leave.”

 

    “Leave?” He wasn’t excepting this and pulled back a little to have a look into her eyes.

 

    “I can’t return home, I can’t rejoin the group. Not after what I have put them through.”

 

    “Where are you going?”

 

    “To join Daesung.”

 

    “Do you think that is what he wants?”

 

    “To hell with what he will want. He left me here Cho!” She pushed him away forcefully then sank to her knees on the floor. Her yelling attracted the attention of everyone in the lobby. Tiffany ran over first followed by Sooyoung then the rest of the girls. They embraced Sunny not letting her so even though she was fighting against their loving arms.

 

    “You do what you need to do Sunny but you have to come back to us when you are finished.” Taeyeon ordered.

 

    “You think you can order me around Tae?” Sunny sobbed as she gave up and let them hold her tight.

 

    “We will always love you Sunny. I forgive you, I forgive you for putting us through this, for lying to us, for making you feel like you couldn’t trust us.” Seohyun squeezed tighter as Sunny’s sobs got louder.

 

    “Alright, alright get off me.” Sunny wiped her face with the bloody sleeve of her shirt, “Hyomin is going to take you somewhere face. No one but Cho knows about this place so turn off your phones or any other electronics that can reach the internet or be tracked via GPS.”

 

    “I’m not a babysitter.” Hyomin protested.

 

    “Call it whatever you want you aren’t leaving their side until King is dead. I’m taking Cho with me to Fractal.”

 

    “I want to see him die just as much as you do Sunny. You’re going to need more than just an old man for backup.”

 

    Sunny let Cho quietly set Hyomin right as she stared at the boy sitting on the front desk swinging his feet in the air. His hat was pulled down to cover his small eyes but she could see the tear trails staining his cheeks. Sunny reached for Taeyeon’s hand to get her attention before the ghost disappeared.

 

    “Tae look at the front desk and tell me what you see.” Sunny whispered not taking her eyes off the boy.

 

    “I see a perfectly good desk ruined with blood, a gun resting on the counter and I guess one of your guys sitting there swinging his feet. Shouldn’t he be doing something?” Taeyeon watched with confusion as Sunny ran to the guy and forcefully pulled him off the counter and ripped off his hat. They made eye contact and she slapped him hard across the cheek. She stomped over to Cho and gave him the same stinging slap across his own aged cheek.

 

    “What the fuck?” Hyoyeon mumbled under her breath.

 

    “Hyomin leave now. Cho and _you,_ ” Sunny pointed at the guy holding his cheek, “We’re going out the back way.”

 

    “Sunny?” Cho was just as confused until he looked at the boy in question. His reaction was very different he embraced the young man with a heart warming smile. As soon as they were well on their way Cho grabbed hold of Sunny’s hand in order to slow her pace.

 

    “Sunny let me explain.” The young man started pulling what appeared to be skin away from his face. Changing it from an ugly scarred mess to the smooth skin an idol singer was known for, “Baby I couldn’t come for you until King’s eye was elsewhere. When I heard you were starting a damn revolt I couldn’t hide in the shadows anymore.”

 

    “You didn’t know anything about this Cho?” She looked at the old man with tears in her eyes.

 

    “Not in the slightest.” Cho shook his head a little proud of Daesung’s disappearing skills.

 

    “How could you just watch me suffer and not do anything? Damn it Daesung I needed you.”

 

    “Just how long have you been creeping around dress up like this?” Cho asked as they all entered his black sedan.

 

    Daesung tried to put an arm over Sunny’s shoulders but she shrugged him off still angry with him, “I’ve been keeping up with the news and came up with this disguise as soon as I found out about Sunny’s head injury. Sweetie, I’ve had your back every step of the way.”

 

    “Why didn’t you save me from Helena?” Sunny stared at him hard.

 

    “I tried to keep her distracted while it was up to you to get out of that chair. Junhyung and Hyomin happened to arrive just in time. I remember you being a better little escape artist.”

 

    “Daesung tell me exactly what happened to you.” Cho asked curiously. He felt like the father of the prodigal son proud to see his son alive and well.

 

    “As soon as I realized something was wrong I left the country as was planned. I remembered the hyung that brought me into Fractal, Cho do you remember Hyunwoo? For teaching me how to fight and secretly training me to be his partner I was ordered to kill him as my first mark. What we really did was fake his death. He has been keeping me up to date with the ongoings within the company.”

 

    “Hyunwoo was a trickster but a horrible agent if I remember correctly. He created the worst messes for my team to clean up.” Cho shook his head at the memory.

 

    “I got on the first plane back as soon as I heard Sunny was seriously injured. I helped protect you from the shadows until now. I’ve been really worried for you sweetheart.” He pulled out his cell phone and showed her a text message thread, “You’ve been talking to yourself.”

 

    “I was talking to your ghost.” Sunny refused to look at the messages, “Daesoon helped me cope.”

 

    “I promise I won’t ever leave you again. Please let me hold you.”

 

    “We’re here.”

 

    “Sunny.” Daesung was hurt but he put on a brave face and got out of the car, “Do you have a plan?”

 

    “I’m sorta winging it. Get back in the car we aren’t staying.”

 

    “Where are we going?” Daesung followed her orders obediently.

 

    Cho whipped the car around and doubled back down the street. He carefully made his way around the block then to a secret location only a select few in Fractal knew about. 

 

    “Zachariah King’s personal entrance.” Cho said simply.

 

    They walked carefully down a dark corridor, Cho unlocking doors as they went. No resistance, nothing to stop them from progressing smoothly. Sunny had a sick feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. She looked up at Daesung and could see he was becoming just as uneasy about the smoothness. Cho stopped at the final door and gave the signal for them to be prepared for anything. He unlocked the door as silently as possible then inched it open. Sunny was the first to slip inside and conform into the shadows. She looked around the dark empty room before calling the others.

 

    “Daesung I want you to put on your disguise and scout the area. We will wait for you before heading to Zachariah’s office.” Cho ordered calmly.

 

    “I feel like he is toying with me. He knows I’m coming, please be careful Daesung.” Sunny kissed his cheek before sending him off. It wasn’t long after Daesung left that they heard footsteps across the dark room. The lights turned on suddenly blinding them and revealing a smirking Zachariah King hovering at the now closed door.

 

 

    “Thinking about sneaking up on me?” Cho took a step toward them hands in the pockets of his pressed suit pants, “It’s good to see you are both in good health.”

 

    Sunny lifted her gun pointing it at his heart, “Give me a reason not to shoot you right now.”

 

    “Is this how you want to finish it? Will you get the satisfaction you crave from shooting me right here right now?”

 

    “What are you trying to suggest?” Cho crossed his arms watching Zachariah with a critical eye.

 

    “Let me escort you to a proper battleground. No tricks, no ambushes, just you and me.”

 

    Sunny exchanged a look with Cho who nodded. They followed Zachariah, Sunny’s gun trained on his back, down a series of hallways to a large truing room Sunny had never seen before. Daesung watched their movements from a safe distance as well as dispatching any agents he passed. Cho put his hand on Sunny’s shoulder stopping her at the threshold.

 

    “Be careful in here Soonkyu. This room is used for testing the elite of Fractal. Do not get cocky and do not let your guard down.” Cho leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Daesung is following us. I’ll try to get him into the upper levels for backup support. I’ve slipped an earpiece in your pocket. Good luck sweetie.”

 

    “I love you Cho. I’ll see you on the other side.” Sunny hugged his neck then entered the room. The door closed on its own separating her from Cho, only Zachariah stood in the middle of the room waiting for her. She joined him with determination in her eyes.

 

    “Let’s get started.”

 

    At the snap of his fingers the ground rumbled as walls slowly raised out of the floor creating places to hide behind, doorways to ambush through and ramps with tunnels to finish it off. Two shadows crept along the upper level of the training ground one held a long sniper rifle. Daesung found the best vantage point and hunkered down keeping his aim on Zachariah King.

 

    “Don’t shoot unless she’s in a bad spot.” Cho whispered, “She won’t let you live it down if you take this away from her.”

 

    “You keep your eyes on her and I’ll keep my eye on King.” Daesung grumbled trying not to break his concentration.

 

     Down below Sunny was keeping on her toes moving between cover working her way to Zachariah King. She wanted to look into his eyes as she killed him, the knife was her choice of her weapon not the gun in her left hand.  He was staying out in the open for the most part making Sunny feel even more uneasy about the situation. She pulled out her gun and shot in his directions then quickly moved away from her position. A hail of bullets destroyed the cover she had been hiding behind confirming need to be cautious. Daesung’s heart dropped in his chest as she sought out where the bullets came from.

 

    “Don’t bother it’s automated.” Cho whispered.

 

    “That means if he fires it will take aim at him as well.” Daesung thought out loud.

 

    “Unless he is using a silencer like you.”

 

    “Let me shoot him.”

 

    “In due time.”

 

    Sunny dropped the gun on the ground then ran with all her worth toward her target. He faced her as soon as he heard her shoes squeak against the ground. The grin on his face was unnerving to say the least. She slowed so that she could crouch low then launched herself at his legs. He lifted his silenced pistol aiming it squarely at her chest. Sunny slid to a sudden stop trying to backtrack as quickly as possible while he flipped the gun around and hit her with a bone cracking sound on the shoulder blade. Sunny called out in pain as she took another hit before she managed to get to her feet.

 

    “Why are you playing with me?” Sunny grunted crouching low to dodge another swing of his strong arm.

 

    “I’m simply waiting for you to realize this is futile.” Zachariah kicked her off her feet with a swift blow to the wound on her right leg then put a bullet through her calf.

 

     _“Sunny I’m ending this.”_ Daesung said into the earpiece.

 

    “No!”

 

    Sunny lunged forward her knife shining off the bright lights of the room. She saw a red laser appear moving across King’s forehead then the bullet enter his temple, blood spilled from the wound and he dropped to his knees. She looked up at the ceiling looking in the direction she thought the bullet had come from until she spotted Daesung and Cho making their way across upper level. Sunny was seething from head to toe and the fire only grew as Daesung grew closer and closer. She threw her knife at the wall just after he passed it nearly missing his head.

 

    “You! You! You!” She screamed out not having any words left on her tongue.

 

    “It was for your own good.” Daesung stared her down with determination in his eyes.

 

    “You didn’t even give me anytime to make a move!”

 

    “We were watching the whole interaction. There was only one outcome without my interference.”

 

    “We need to leave. You can argue in the car.” Cho helped steady Sunny and showed the way out of the building carefully trying to avoid any straggling agents patrolling the building. As soon as they were safely on the road again Daesung pulled off his seat belt to crawl into the back seat with Sunny.

 

    “Daesung I really cannot deal with you right know.” 

 

    Sunny glared at him mincingly when he tried to pull her into a hug. She eventually stopped fighting him and gave into his strong arms. A flood of emotions overcame her and she buried her face on his shoulder letting it wash through her in waves. She allowed him to address her bleeding leg with gentle steady hands.

 

    “It’s over now. We can do whatever we want, go wherever we want to go. No more guns, no more killing, no more.” Daesung whispered in her ear, “I love you, you know that.”

 

    “I know but that doesn’t make me any less angry with you. I need to call Hyomin. Let her know this is over.” She pulled out her phone dialing the number and putting it to her ear, “It’s done.”

 

    “Thank God.”

 

    Hyomin relaxed her guard as soon as she hung up the phone. Sunny was on her way at that moment and this horrible day would end soon enough. She didn’t care about the wrath she was sure to get from her management team and other group members. Sunny’s group was going to be in the same boiling water she was in. Hyomin walked over to the living room where most of the Girls’ Generation members were bunched together.

 

    “Sunny has concluded her business and is on her way back here. It’s safe to turn your phones back on and so on and so forth. I’ve got to make some phone calls, don’t bother me unless it is life or death.” Hyomin took in the mixed emotions expressed on their faces and shrugged. There was nothing more she could do for them it was time to start the clean up process.

 

    Sooyoung smiled at little Kyungsan’s confused face as Yoona and Hyoyeon tried to play a game of peek-a-boo with him. Jessica and Tiffany were in a guest room resting as Taeyeon flipped through the TV channels on the couch. The family that had adopted Kyungsan were trying to make sense off all the celebrities suddenly in their house but just the mention of Sunny stopped all their questions.

 

    “I’m glad this is over but I’m not looking forward to the amount of therapy we are all going to have to go through.” Seohyun snuck up behind Sooyoung and gave her a tight hug, “Do you think she will stay with us?”

 

    “I know that she needs us and that I will give up everything to keep her with us. Has your phone been blowing up with messages from the company?”

 

    “I just turned it back off we should not reply until Sunny gets back anyway.”

 

    “Are you alright Taeyeon?” Sooyoung worried aloud watching the eerily calm Taeyeon change the channel again.

 

    “No, I am not alright. I will feel better when I can see Sunny with my own eyes.”

 

    With Kyungsan put to bed and all the girls in the living room a round of shots were passed out curtsy of Hyomin. The sun had been down for hours when Cho walked into the home Sunny and Daesung entered behind him hand in hand. There was a collective gasp in the room as they stared at the dead man. Cho pulled Hyomin into another room to go over their next steps as Sunny faced her friends with a heavy heart.

 

    “You are no longer in danger.” Sunny started to say softly.

 

    “No!” Jessica stood up and pointed directly at Daesung, “No you are not going to glaze over the fact that Daesung is standing right there.”

 

    “There was a freaking funeral and everything.” Hyoyeon added getting up to poke his chest in case he wasn’t real.

 

    “I’m just as shocked okay, he was able to successfully fake his death. I wasn’t.” Sunny turned into his open arms and buried her head in his shoulder, “I’m still mad at you but I’m so very glad you are alive.”

 

    “As am I Sunshine.” He kissed  the top of her head then addressed the rest of the room, “Let’s all rest for now it’s been a very trying day for us all.”

 

     The couple joined Cho in the kitchen just as Hyomin left the apartment all together with a pissed off expression on her face. Sunny sat down opposite him at the table setting down her knives and pistol on the table in front of them. In return, Cho slid two passports to her a plane ticket sandwiched between each one.

 

    “When did you have time for this?” Sunny questioned with amusement.

 

    “The credit belongs to Daesung. Go on a long vacation, take Kyungsan and don’t worry about the future. I will handle everything with your company and think of a way to bring Daesung back from the grave.”

 

    “I don’t know what I would do without you Cho.”

 

    “Eat, sleep and leave first thing tomorrow.” He shooed her away with a wave of his hand. A tear ran down her cheek she wiped it away quickly and head to the spare bedroom with Daesung.

 

    It was a long vacation that she took months of running far and wide with all the money she had made during her years with Fractal. First a trip to Italy to visit the fresh start that had originally intended then further west through much of Europe. Sunny would have continued to travel if she hadn’t woke up to a phone call from her father one morning. A week later she was on a plane back to Korea it was time to stop putting off the inevitable. She stepped off the plane and into the arms of her family and group members waiting with excited hearts. 

 

It was time for her to start over once again and she planned on living her life right this time.

 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say this story has been my baby for a long time. I'm not satisfied with it so it will be tweaked and edited before I put up the PDF version. I want to thank any readers who have stuck with me until the end. Any final thoughts or comments on the story as a whole would be truely lovely. I really didn't plan on ending it this way it was orginally so different. Thanks again.


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